A Demon's Fate
by psychncislover
Summary: Supernatural-seeing Zoro and his Medium sister Perona stumble upon a group of five Demons in the middle of a thunderstorm. How did they get there? Was it someones intention all along? And to top it off, one of the Demons has taken a strong liking to Zoro. This can't possibly end bad, right? (xtrmly crappy summary, sry!). ZoLu, Yaoi! More info inside... (rating may change)
1. Prologue

**Okay...I went and done it again. I'm supposed to be working on certain other stories, but my mind decided it wanted to start on a new fic. I'm so sorry, I hate leaving things half-done (though I suppose I'm prone to doing so) but I don't really choose which fics my brain decides on focusing on. It's just the way I work, I guess. I'll get writer's block on some things while ideas flow on other things; it just happens. Again, my apologies. Now, moving on, I'm still in (love with) Anime, and this is for the _One Piece_ fandom (my #1 Anime). And, of course, it's a ZoLu one, since those two are both my OTP and BROTP. I love Luffy and Zoro to death. How could you not? Now, with saying that, this fic _will_ be Yaoi, so if you don't like boyXboy love, then hit the back button right now 'cuz you won't like this fic. Trust me. Okay, now that had the readers have left, I'd like to say this fic is an AU. Kind of hard to explain, but I'll try. **

**It mostly revolves around Luffy and Zoro, though Luffy is a Demon while Zoro is just a human, though has what I'm calling the "Sight", which is basically the ability to see all the supernatural creatures around him, even if they're using their "Human Façades" (if you watch the TV show _Grimm_, it's kind of like what Grimms can do). The others will make their appearances as well-everyone but Franky being supernatural and Franky being, well, what he actually is: a Cyborg. I'm also including Perona and Mihawk ('cuz I love the Zoro/Perona/Mihawk family dynamic so much), and Ace and Shanks will appear as well. It'll explain who is what in the fic. Oh, and in this story, I'm writing with the notion that humans and supernatural live together, the humans knowing they exist, but some could go their whole lifetime without actually meeting one. While in the Human Realm (one of the many Realms that will exist), they like to blend in, employing "Human Façades" to do so. Along the way, through the chapters, I'll add author notes to the bottoms to explain concepts I'm using in the fic if it already isn't obvious, and, of course, you can always ask me if you want (through comment or PM). **

**Now, I actually got this idea by reading another fic a few days ago, called Beneath the Milky Twilight on AO3, but I think its also on FF to, but not absolutely sure. You should check it out, BTW, its pretty good. Definitely well-written. Oh, and there will be more pairings than just ZoLu in this fic. You'll see who's with who along the way ;). Well, if I have anything more to add, I'll do so along the way. Now, sit back and enjoy the show!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _One Piece_ or any of _One Piece_'s characters mentioned in this fic.**

**Warning: This is AU. Basically, all that remains are their names, faces, and a few personality traits, but other than that, the characters in this story are mostly OOC.**

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><p>Zoro has been able to see strange things since he was a baby.<p>

At age four, his grandfather told him that, like _his_ own mother, Zoro has what they call the "Sight", which allows him to see the Supernatural—even when they are hiding behind their human façades—that are living in the Human Realm. The Roronoa Family has always had this gift, being passed through the generations, but with no guarantee on who would _actually_ possess it. His parents, of course, did not like that Zoro had this unique talent, calling it a curse more than anything, and would try everything they could to suppress this ability and keep Zoro from using it. However, what they didn't know was that, behind their backs, Zoro's grandfather was teaching him everything he knew, everything his mother had told him or left to him in books. At age six, Zoro's grandfather passed away, leaving to him, on his deathbed, the family sword—a white katana by the name of Wadō Ichimonji that has been passed through the generations, but only _owned_ by the ones with Sight.

Three months passed since his grandfather died and Zoro's relationship with his parents continued to get worse, until Zoro finally got fed up, packed his belongings, and ran away from home. He drifted from town to town, city to city, living off of the kindness of strangers who would feed him or shelter him, as well as the Supernatural he could see that would point out safe places to stay or warn him away from untrustworthy people. A year had passed by when Zoro finally stumbled upon a tiny town by the name of _Ohara_. He instantly got a good feeling from the town and decided to explore, maybe grab a place to sleep or something to eat. He didn't realize this was where his life would actually begin, and where, in the near future, his life would also change forever.

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><p>Zoro made his way into the small town, stomach growling as he glanced around. His gut, which has become pretty reliable over the year he's been alone, told him this was a good place, so he decided to give it a go. So far, nothing spectacular stuck out…well, not until he glanced over at an apple-selling cart and saw the man standing in front of it. He wandered a little closer, wanting to confirm what his Sight was showing him.<p>

The man was tall, probably a little over nine-feet, and has a curly black afro, dark brown eyes covered by round, tinted spectacles, a curved scar on the right side of his forehead, dark brown lips, pale skin, and a thin, wiry frame; he's wearing an orange long-sleeved polo shirt with flared cuffs underneath a black vest decorated with white flowers, flared pants with the left leg white and the right black/orange-striped, black heeled boots, and dangling from his arm is a purple cane. Nothing out of the ordinary, except, to Zoro, he could see _more_…see how his features were sharper, more defined, that the skin isn't pale, no, its more translucent and shimmery, his eyes took a more slanted appearance, and sticking out from his afro, on the sides, are ears that were slightly curved and pointed at the tips.

_A Fae_, Zoro thought, watching as he conversed with the cart seller. He made his way a little closer and the Fae then noticed him.

Looking down, he gave the young child a bemused, but friendly, smile. "Yohohoho. Why, hello there, young one. What are you doing out here all alone?" He then noticed how the child was covered in cuts and bruises, some healed over scars, and looked like he hasn't seen a shower in weeks. "And where are your parents?"

"Don't have any." Zoro answered; he found using that response garners less questions from people.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," the Fae answered before seeing the child's glance flicker over to the apple cart. "Would you like one?"

Zoro moved his startled glance back to the man. "I—"

The Fae had already reached behind him and grabbed an apple, giving the seller a few quarters, before handing the fruit to Zoro. "There you go."

"Thanks." Zoro murmured, grabbing the apple before scarfing it down; as he ate, he looked back up at the man and asked, "Are there more of you in this town?"

"Of me?" he asked, confused.

Zoro, since he was chewing, motioned to his ears before just saying around a mouthful of apple, "Fae." He then swallowed. "Supernatural."

The Fae blinked in surprise. "What are you…"

Zoro took another bite of his apple as he looked at him. "I can see it."

The man was rendered speechless before placing a hand on the child's shoulder and steering him away from other people; Zoro, though confused, allowed himself to be led away, finishing up the last bit of his fruit before chucking the core away. They reached a corner on the street that was mostly empty before the man let Zoro go.

"What do you mean you can _see_ it?" he asked carefully.

Zoro blinked. "I can see it. What the hell else could that mean?"

"See what?" the Fae asked, ignoring Zoro's language.

"Your ears, features and skin." Zoro answered, looking around the town once more.

"Oh my word." He whispered, staring down at the child. "You have the Sight, don't you?"

"Yeah." Zoro answered with a shrug.

The Fae just blinked before realizing he'd been rude. "My apologies!" Zoro looked at him with confusion. "I never even introduced myself. My name is Brook, and I'm of the Music Faerie."

"Zoro." The child said, taking Brook's offered hand to shake.

"How did—"

"Brook." The two froze when they heard that hard voice—Zoro from confusion and Brook from, well, fright. "What are you doing with this child?"

"I—um, it's not…" Brook trailed off, shrinking under that golden, piercing glare.

"Who the hell are you?" Zoro asked, looking up at the man standing in front of them.

He was probably six-foot-something and has short, spiked-back black hair with sharp sideburns that point upwards, bright yellow eyes ringed by gold, the colors separated by a thin black line (looking like something you'd find on an eagle or hawk, maybe), alabaster skin, a black mustache, a thin black beard, and a lean, athletic build; around his neck was a gold cross necklace and strapped to his back looked to be a huge sword that resembles a large cross. He's dressed casually in a dark red polo, black jeans, and plain black boots.

"And who might you be?" the man asked Zoro instead of answering him, looking the child over.

Zoro didn't answer either, instead was staring right back at the man, his Sight still Active from talking with Brook. He seemed to be Human, but there was something…something sparking around the man that Zoro _thinks_ he's seen before, but can't recall from _where_. His head tilted as he continued to stare, not noticing how annoyed the man was becoming from this silent scrutiny.

"What _are_ you doing?" the man finally asked, glaring down the child—though said child didn't seem to be intimidated by his piercing glare like others usually are.

Zoro's head tilted to the other side as he muttered, "What are you? You aren't completely Human, but you aren't Supernatural either…"

The man looked about ready to draw his sword, so Brook stepped in, putting himself in front of Zoro. "Now, Mihawk, please calm yourself. The child means no harm, I assure you. I just don't think he's seen a Hunter before."

Mihawk's gaze snapped up to Brook. "Careful about what you say aloud."

Brook just shook his head. "It's alright. This child, he has—" He was interrupted.

"Well, well, what is happening over here?" a smooth, silky voice asked as it came upon the trio.

The men swung their eyes up to the approaching female, though only Zoro looked confused as to her identity. The woman seemed to be just over six-feet and has straight, hip-length light black hair with two shoulder-length strands framing her face, sky blue eyes, light tan skin, a slender, well-endowed, hourglass figure with long legs and arms, and her upper-canines look slightly shaper than normal; she's wearing a reddish-purple camisole with gold rivets over the bust, dark brown capris, dark purple pumps, and pushed up on top of her head are silver amber-tinted aviators.

"Miss Nico." Brook said with a slight bow. "You are looking beautiful this fine afternoon."

"Robin." Mihawk said, giving her a polite nod in greeting, before turning his gaze back to the child, who was now staring at Robin with curiosity.

Though at first glance, like Brook, this woman looks completely normal, but to Zoro's Active Sight, he can see what's hiding behind her human façade. To Zoro, her eyes were a blood red, she had long, sharp fangs poking out from under her top lip, and her nails are more talon-like.

Zoro finally blinked before pointing at the lady and simply stating, "Vampire."

The woman looked slightly shocked at the proclamation before a sly smile tilted her lips. "What are you talking about, little one?"

Brook placed a hand on Zoro's shoulder before glancing between the other two. "Like I was just about to tell Mihawk, this child…he has the Sight."

The two looked down at the child in some shock and fascination.

"Does he now." Mihawk said, now gazing at the child more closely, and with less annoyance.

"How interesting." Robin said, cheek resting in her palm as she gazed at Zoro. "What is your name, little one?"

"Zoro." He answered, moving out from behind Brook before turning to look at the Fae. "Are these friends of yours?"

A gasp from Robin caused the three men to face the Vampire again, eyebrows raised in question. Robin, however, was staring at something strapped on Zoro's back.

"Is that…" she trailed off before looking at Zoro again. "You are a Roronoa, aren't you?"

Zoro blinked, a little surprised, but nodded. "I am. How'd you know that?"

Robin pointed at the sword on his back. "Only the Roronoa Family have been known to own that particular katana you are carrying around. Coupled with you having the Sight, it was an easy assumption."

Mihawk's gaze followed Robin's hand and even _he_ looked a little shocked. "Wadō Ichimonji. I have not seen that sacred blade for decades."

"My grandpa gave it to me when he died." Zoro said, pulling the katana off his back to show the group. "He told me I was the new owner, but I don't even know _how_ to _use_ a sword."

"Hmm…" Mihawk hummed out, now studying Zoro with interest.

Robin hid a giggle behind her palm as she watched Mihawk watch Zoro; she could see the gears whirling in his head. Seems Mihawk has finally found his reason for setting down roots in her little town.

"Would you like to learn how to use a sword?" Mihawk asked the child.

Zoro looked back up at the Hunter, head tilted, before shrugging.

"I could teach you." Mihawk said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Teach you how to use that sword, how to protect yourself, because not all Supernatural are as accepting as these two to ones with the Sight. Some like remaining in the dark, and having one who could oust them…"

"It would make one rather upset." Robin said with a nod. "Having a way to protect yourself would make things better."

"And what do you want in return?" Zoro asked, liking the idea but cautious of things that sound too good to be true.

"Come and stay with me." Mihawk said, tilting his head, like a bird watching prey. "Stay while I train you, and if you wish to leave after, you may."

"Stay with you?" Zoro asked, head cocked.

"I live in a house at the edge of this town—"

"My _old_ house, actually." Robin interrupted with a smile.

Mihawk rolled his eyes. "Yes, your _old_ house, my current one." He shook his head. "In any case, I live there alone and the house is quite large, so it'd be no inconvenience if you were to come stay with me."

"So you can train me." Zoro clarified, already getting excited, but playing it cool.

"Yes." Mihawk said with a nod.

"Sounds like a splendid idea." Robin said, looking down at Zoro.

"Yes, indeed. It'd be nice to have a new face around town." Brook added, leaning on his cane.

Zoro feigned thinking it over before shrugging. "Why not. I don't have anywhere else to go."

Mihawk nodded. "Excellent. Now, follow me and I will lead you to what will be your new home."

Zoro looked back at the other two.

"We'll see each other around, Zoro." Robin said with a slight giggle; she'd make sure of it.

"Yohohoho. Robin is correct. I'd love to talk more with you." Brook said with a flourished bow.

Zoro scoffed, but couldn't hide the pleased gleam in his eye. He looked back up at Mihawk. "Let's go."

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><p>Even after Zoro's training was done, he stayed in the small town of Ohara; the place quickly became his home, something he never felt when in his <em>actual<em> home, and when Mihawk realized Zoro had no intentions to leave, he adopted the boy. Three years after that, another person arrived in the town, a young girl—about a year younger than Zoro—by the name of Perona wandered in, much in the same fashion Zoro did. After running into her in town, Zoro brought her back to the house for something to eat and then discovered that the girl was Clairvoyant, a Medium who could see and talk to spirits; the only reason Zoro figured this out was because, with his Sight, he can see vague outlines of those spirits and put two-and-two together. A few months after that, Mihawk had another adopted child.

The two grew up together as brother and sister, very close to one another, though they never showed it, and were trained well by their "father"; the weird little family worked because they had one big thing in common: they dwelled in between the world of Human and Supernatural, not quite belonging to either one thanks to their special abilities. Nothing interesting ever happened to them over the years, but that all changed about a decade-and-a-half after Zoro arrived in Ohara. Their lives are about to change majorly during one rainy night.

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><p><strong>So, any good? This is supposed to be a prologue more than anything, giving some background on Zoro and such. Oh, and let me explain on what I meant when I said "Active Sight": his Sight <strong>**has two "settings" (so to speak)—Active and Passive; with Active, he can see what kind of supernatural creature he's seeing and identify them, while Passive lets him acknowledge that that person is supernatural but not what kind. Passive is like the "resting" setting, I guess. That's it for now. I'll post the actual first chapter in a little ****while, depending on how well this one does. We'll see. Anyways, thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 1

**I am so sorry. I mean to add the next chapter a lot sooner than this, but, well, life happened. Annnywhoo...I don't really have much else to say. This marks the actual beginning of the story, but right now, its really only Zoro and Perona. The others will make their appearances soon, I promise. Along with the ZoLu, but I still gotta build up to that...and everything else. Set the mood and whatnot. If there's anything in the fic that requires an explanation, it'll be on the bottom. Oh, and one more thing...like with all my other fics, there will be descriptions (you probably noticed that in the previous chapter). Please don't complain to me about them, 'kay? I _like_ doing descriptions, its just a thing I do, so if you don't wanna read, don't. That simple. Now then, enjoy the show!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _One Piece_ or any of _One Piece_'s characters mentioned in this fic.**

**Warning: This is AU. Basically, all that remains are their names, faces, and a few personality traits, but other than that, the characters in this story are mostly OOC.**

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><p><strong>Fourteen Years Later<strong>

Roronoa Zoro has since grown up from the small boy who arrived in Ohara all that time ago and is now 21-years-old. He's 5'11" and has shortish, slightly slicked back and messy light leaf green hair, hunter green eyes—with a vertical scar running down his left one that keeps it permanently shut, tan skin, a brawny, athletic body, a massive stitched scar stretching from his left shoulder to his right hip, and stitched scars circling either ankle; dangling from his left ear are three identical gold teardrop earrings and he now owns three katanas—the white one (Wadō Ichimonji) he's had since he was seven and then two new ones he acquired during Hunting missions with Mihawk: a dark reddish-brown one (Kitetsu III) and a black one (Shusui).

Kumiko Perona has grown up as well and is now 20-years-old. She's 5'8½" and has butt-length bubblegum pink hair, usually kept at the back of her head in four spiral braids, with blunt bangs, big, round violet eyes, fair skin, and a slim, well-endowed, hourglass figure; lining her eyes is thick black eyeliner, on her lips is red lipstick, on her fingernails is pink nail polish, around her left wrist is a pink wristwatch, and tattooed on her left bicep is a tiny pink bat.

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><p>"Ugh, I'm so <em>bored<em>," a slightly whiny voice complained from the passenger side of a maroon red 1970 Chevrolet C10 Pickup. "And why is it so hot in here?" She leaned her head back on the seat and fanned herself.

"It's not even that hot, Perona_,_" her green-haired companion snapped back, rubbing his forehead exasperatedly. "And no one said you had to come with me."

"Who knows where you would've ended up if I let you go alone." Perona commented, ignoring the glare shot at her. "Why did you even go out in the first place, Zoro?" She rolled her head to the left to look at him. "We would've been fine on groceries for a little bit longer."

Zoro rolled his eye. "If you had been paying _attention_, you would've known that a huge storm is heading this way." He quickly looked at her. "We don't have the time to wait."

"I _know_ a storm's coming this way." Perona said, rolling her head back over to look out the window. "I just don't get why we had to almost buy out the store because of it."

"I like to be prepared." Zoro answered with a shrug.

"You're just paranoid." Perona shot back.

Zoro's one hand clenched on the steering wheel in restraint before relaxing. "I just have a gut feeling we'll need all this, that's all."

"And we all know how reliable your "gut feelings" are." Perona said, though with less sarcasm than her usual statements. "Plus…"

"Plus what?" Zoro asked her, watching as her eyes lost focus before snapping his attention back to the road. He didn't want to get lost; he could do without being teased by Perona about how directionally challenged he is…_again_.

"_Plus_…the spirits are getting restless." Perona continued, blinking rapidly to bring her focus back. "Something's stirring _something_ up and its upsetting them."

Zoro nodded, keeping a look out for the posts that'd signal the beginning of their driveway. "Now that you mention it, Wadō has been acting stranger than usual too. Keeps smelling the air, though nothing's there, and running around in circles."

"Kumashi has been acting the same way." Perona rubbed her bare arms. "I don't like this, Zoro. Something feels off."

"Stop worrying." Zoro said, finally spotting the neon pink post and turning into the driveway. "Everything will be fine."

Perona humphed. "Of all the times for dad to go out of town."

"He has a job to do." Zoro said, continually following the neon pink posts down the driveway; once it was discovered just how _bad_ Zoro was with directions and how often he'd get lost, Mihawk set up brightly-colored posts so Zoro would always know how to get home. "You know that."

Perona just shook her head and went silent.

The truck finally broke through the dense trees that lined the driveway and in front of them laid their two-story, Queen Anne-style house, located at the edge of town. Zoro followed the driveway around back and pulled into the garage, cutting the engine off shortly after. He hopped out and went to the bed, pulling back the tarp before grabbing the groceries to bring inside; Perona followed a second after, grabbing what bags Zoro didn't. As soon as Zoro passed by the laundry room and entered the kitchen, he heard a loud, happy _bark_ come from the upstairs before the tip-tap of claws against wood was heard.

"Guess Wadō knows we're back." Perona said, plopping the groceries down on the island in the middle of the room.

"Well, someone has to greet us, since Kumashi can't be bothered to." Zoro teased with a smirk, to which Perona returned with a glare.

A second after they spoke did a white blob come barreling into the kitchen, heading straight to Zoro. Wadō is a Siberian Husky-looking dog the size of a small horse with pure white fur and bright blue eyes. Most would think a polar bear was barreling down at them when Wadō came at them, but Zoro just planted his feet and took the weight as Wadō hopped onto her back paws to lay her front paws on Zoro's shoulders. She wagged her tail excitedly as her tongue lolled out of her mouth, watching Zoro with happiness.

"Hey, Wadō." Zoro said, scratching behind her ears. "Enjoy your nap?"

Wadō let out a happy bark, giving Zoro a quick face lick, before plopping back down on the ground. See, to most people, they'd look at Wadō and only see a slightly larger-than-average Husky and not think twice on it. To Zoro, however, he saw Wadō for what she truly is—an old and powerful Hellhound. Zoro rescued her awhile back from fatal wounds and Wadō instantly took to him, and now she stays with him, and Perona, as their pet and guard. It's almost the same story with Kumashi, though he's a Hellcat, and hangs more around Perona, though one can never know with the finicky cat.

"Takes after her master, that's for sure." Perona commented, already unpacking the groceries.

Zoro just gave her a glare before moving to help her out, grabbing the things Perona took out and putting them away in their appropriate places—the refrigerator, the cabinets, the pantry; the alcohol, of course, went in its own special place. With the two of them working quickly and efficiently, they got through the large amount of groceries Zoro bought within half-an-hour; Wadō sat by the back door the whole time, happily watching the two of them, and Kumashi has yet to make an appearance. Once they finished, Zoro went up to his room quickly to change into some dark green sweats and sneakers before heading back down, passing Perona, who was now watching TV in the great room, and heading to the porch, where Wadō was waiting for him.

Every evening, when afternoon gave way to night, Zoro and Wadō would go on a jog through the forest backing their home. Hellhounds need a surprising amount of exercise, but Zoro's just fine with that. It's a great thing to do for cardio, and, of course, he'll always follow it up with his own training regimen. Zoro always likes to keep at the top of his form, always aiming to improve and get better. He followed behind Wadō as they set out, easily swerving around the trees and jumping over obstacles as they went. Running like this always cleared Zoro's head and let him relax; he doesn't have to worry about much when running around with Wadō.

Today, however, Zoro couldn't help but feel uneasy, like something was coming or going to happen. It was a feeling hanging in the air, and, like the upcoming storm, something was moving in. He tried to shake it off, but even Wadō kept looking around during their run, sniffing the air like she was trying to catch a sent.

_We're to distracted,_ Zoro thought to himself. _We need to head back._

"Wadō." The Hellhound slowed to a stop and turned, looking up at Zoro. "Let's head back. I don't wanna be stuck out here when the storm hits."

Wadō tilted her head before nodding and trotting around Zoro before looking back, waiting for him. Zoro grumbled, a red tint dusting his cheeks; even _Wadō_ knew how bad he was with directions. Rolling his eye, he followed behind her as they ran back to their house, reaching it within forty-five minutes. Lucky they did, too, for as soon as they entered the covered porch did the heaven's open and the rain start pouring down. Zoro looked behind him with a brow raised before shrugging.

"Guess we were lucky to miss that." Zoro commented to Wadō, who replied by nodding her head in agreement.

Zoro yawned as he walked further into the house, really tired for some reason, before looking around for Perona. Since he didn't see her, he's guessing she went upstairs to her room. Shrugging, he popped back into the kitchen for a second to grab a bottled water before making his way upstairs as well, going to the lounge area they converted into a work-out/practice room. Setting down his water and shrugging off his sweat jacket and A-shirt, Zoro walked over to the weight sets to begin his normal exercise routine.

After doing his usual sets of three-thousand each (in all his usual and unusual ways), Zoro wandered over to the pull-up bar that they installed and started doing chin-ups—only using one arm at a time and with his ankles crossed and legs bent at the knee. After he finished, he automatically dropped to the ground to then do one-handed push-ups before flipping around to start with sit-ups. Once he gets through his usual amount, he walked over to the bench and grabbed his three katanas, unsheathing them before securing Wadō Ichimonji in his mouth and keeping Shusui in his right hand and Kitetsu in his left; he then started doing his kata, moving through them one after the other with no hesitation or flaws, his movements fluid and powerful.

An hour passed by in silence and Zoro was drenched in sweat when he finally let his arms drop to the side—careful not to bang the blades on the floor—before reaching up with his right hand to grab Wadō Ichimonji from his mouth. He let out a breath as he walked over to the bench to return his blades to their scabbards, before gathering them up and heading to his bedroom.

Wadō had already made herself comfortable on her side of his large bed and lifted her head to watch as Zoro secured his katanas in the holders above his bed (easy grabbing distance) before making his way to his attached bathroom, shucking off his pants as he went. He took a nice, long shower, just letting the stream of hot water roll over him once he finished cleaning himself, before getting out, letting loose a wide yawn as he went. Zoro grabbed his boxers and a pair of sleep pants before finally making his way to his bed. Giving one last loving pat to Wadō, he clicked off the lights and pulled up the covers, drifting off to sleep.

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><p>Zoro was jolted awake when a particularly large clap of thunder sounded, sitting up in his bed like a shock went through him. Looking around, trying to get his bearings, it was then he noticed that Wadō wasn't next to him. Blinking his eye, trying to rid it of the last traces of sleep, he glanced around again, but didn't see the Hellhound anywhere, though his door was wide open. He slipped out of his bed, grabbing a sweatshirt from the end of his bed and pulling it on, before making his way to the door. Stepping out, he was slightly surprised to see Perona leaving her room as well, dressed similarly to him, and looking around.<p>

"What's wrong?" Zoro asked the girl, voice still slightly hoarse from sleep.

Perona visibly startled from his voice before realizing it was only him, letting out a breath. "It's Kumashi. I woke up and he wasn't sleeping next to me." She twisted her hands nervously. "I looked through my room and can't find him anywhere."

"Wadō isn't in my room either." Zoro said, making his way into the hall. "Maybe—"

_Bark! Bark! Hiss! Maow!_

The two whipped their heads in the direction the sounds came from before looking at each other. Nodding, they ran down the stairs and headed in the direction of the covered porch, discovering the door that led to it was wide open and both Hellhound and Hellcat were sitting in front of the door that would lead them to the outside. When they heard footsteps behind them, the two animals looked behind them to find their Humans approaching.

"Maow!" Kumashi sounded again, the large Toyger-like cat pawing at the door before looking at Perona with wide amber eyes.

"What is going on with them?" Perona asked, dropping down to her knees to run a hand over Kumashi's smokey gray, black-striped fur.

"Wadō?" Zoro questioned, looking at the Hellhound. "What is it, girl?"

"Woof!" Wadō answered, staring at the back door with a concentrated look as Kumashi continued to paw at it.

"Do you think they need to go out?" Perona asked, looking up at her green-haired "brother".

"In this weather?" Zoro asked dubiously, watching through the windows as sheets of rain continued falling down, occasionally lit up by flashes of lightning, followed by claps of thunder. "I thought they'd be smarter than that."

Both animals continued to paw at the door and bark/meow, sounding urgent and impatient.

"Fine." Zoro finally grumbled out, going quickly to the coat closet and grabbing two raincoats, throwing one to Perona as he shrugged his on.

"Why do I have to come?" Perona complained, even as she pulled her own raincoat on.

"Kumashi's your problem." Zoro stated before finally opening the door.

As soon as it opened, both animals bursted out of the door, running quickly before coming to a stop at the edge of the terrace and seemingly staring up at nothing. Both Humans pulled up their hoods before following the animals out, both instantly getting soaked to the bone the second they stepped outside. The animals, though, didn't seem to notice they were getting drenched as they continued to stare up at the sky, heads cocked.

"What are you two staring at?" Zoro asked, stopping next to Wadō before following her gaze. "The only thing there is…the…"

"Zoro." Perona breathed out, eyes wider than usual as she started at the sky. "You see that too, right?"

"Yeah." Zoro answered, watching as what looked like a streak of different-colored lights zipped across the sky, reds and grays and maybe some gold and silver. It certainly wasn't a natural occurrence. But that wasn't the oddest thing about the sky—to Zoro, it looked almost like a rip was appearing in the center of those colors, but that couldn't be right.

"That can_not _be natural." Perona said, her voice both scared and amazed.

Zoro, though, could only focus on that crater; before he could ask if Perona could see it, however, the Hellhound and Hellcat both let out low, urgent sounds before taking off, heading straight into the forest. Zoro and Perona let out identical noises of shock and aggravation, trading disbelieving looks.

A flash of lighting lit up the sky before a shock of thunder sounded.

* * *

><p>"What the hell!" Zoro finally shouted before taking off after the animals, Perona right on his tail. "What the fuck do they think they're <em>doing<em>?!"

"Don't lose sight of them!" was the only thing Perona yelled before going quiet, the only sounds being their ragged breaths and the rain still coming down in buckets.

The two of them dodged over shrubs, roots, and other ground obstacles as they tried their best to keep up with their extremely fast Hell-animals; their only saving grace was that Wadō and Kumashi are in their normal forms, therefore greatly restricting their speeds. Had they been in their full forms, Zoro and Perona would have never been able to keep up. The darkness blanketing the forest was made even worse by the rain pelting down, making the low visibility even worse and a few times Perona had to pull Zoro back to the right path when he'd start to wander off in the wrong direction.

The two continued to run after the animals, blind and wet, for who knows _how_ long, before they finally spotted Wadō and Kumashi coming to a stop up ahead. Zoro and Perona slowed down some, since the animals weren't moving, before finally catching up, breaking through the tree-line to come to a stop in front of what looks like a huge ravine.

The two Humans doubled over at their waist, hands on knees, trying to catch their breaths and get their hearts back to beating at an acceptable speed when the animals let out more low sounds before crouching and jumping, heading right into the ravine. Zoro and Perona froze when they noticed the action, stupefied.

"Did they just…" Perona said, trailing off in disbelief.

Zoro let out a loud groan before shouting, "What the hell do they think they're _doing_?! I am so _sick_ of this!" And with that, he jumped into the ravine as well, sliding down the side and barely missing tumbling down into the mud.

Once he made it to the bottom, he looked back when he heard a scream and saw Perona making her way down as well, eyes squeezed shut as she took the same route Zoro did. Rolling his eye, he moved to catch her before she ended up taking a mud bath.

Once her feet were on solid ground, she breathed out before looking up. "Thanks. Now, where did those two go?" She held her hand over her eyes, looking around, before grabbing Zoro's arm. "There!"

Then the two took off to where the animals were, Perona keeping a firm grip on Zoro so he wouldn't turn in the wrong direction, and pulled to a stop next to them. They then noticed that the animals were barely moving, staring at something on the ground that they couldn't see thanks to the dark and rain. It was when the next bolt of lightning flashed that they finally saw what it was that Wadō and Kumashi were staring so intently at.

"Oh my god." Perona gasped out shakily, her hand moving to cover her mouth in shock.

"What the…what the _hell_?!" Zoro exclaimed harshly, eye wide in confusion. "Who the fuck are these people?!"

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there we go. What did you think? Good? Bad? So-So? Let me know! Oh, and a few things: yes, Wadō and Kumashi are a Hellhound and Hellcat, respectively. They come from the Demon Realm, and like other Supernaturals, they have their full-on HellhoundHellcats forms and then the forms that resemble regular animals. Later in the story, I'll explain why they are in the Human Realm and living with the two Humans. Oh, and when Zoro looks at them with his Sight, he can see the "flames" that come off of them. Ok, here are some descriptions ('cuz I like giving them!):**

**Wadō (female):  
><strong>**- Normal Dog Form: a Siberian Husky-like dog; pure white fur; a dense cashmere-like undercoat and a longer, coarse top coat with short, straight guard hairs; bright blue eyes; a rounded light tan nose; a symmetrical, heavily furred tail that curves upward in a "sickle" shape when excited/interested and held low when relaxed; a lithe and slender build with a short torso, sloping back, and leanly muscled neck; large "snow shoe" feet with hair between the toes; a medium-sized head with a muzzle that's equal in length to the skull, a well-defined stop, and medium-sized, oval-shaped eyes; the teeth meet in a scissors bite; erect, triangular ears set high up on the head; the size of a small horse  
><strong>**- Hellhound Form: an immense and monstrous hellhound with pure white fur; deep, bright, and almost glowing sapphire blue eyes; ****slender and powerfully built with thick muscling, a deeply descending ribcage, sloping back, and coarse neck; head is large and heavy, with a wide forehead and very long, blunt snout;**** powerful, strong jaws with razor sharp teeth; sharp nails/claws; erect, triangular ears; has burning hot, red-orange-yellow flames coming off the back and covering the tail**

**Kumashi (male):  
><strong>**- Normal Cat Form: a Toyger-like cat; smokey gray fur with distinctive vertical black stripes along the body and encircling the neck, legs, and tail; a short coat with fur longer at the temple jowl/ruff; bright amber eyes; a medium-sized, oval-shaped head with a dominant deep, skewed, cylindrical muzzle; small, round, thickly-furred ears with white "thumb marks" on the backs; a deep, long and muscular body with rounded contours; very long, thin tail with a blunt, rounded tip colored black; eyes have black "mascara" markings and whited spectacles; mouth has black lipstick markings; larger than an average cat  
><strong>**- Hellcat Form: an immense and monstrous hellcat with smokey gray fur and distinctive vertical black stripes along the whole of the body; dense and heavy fur; glowing deep red eyes with circular pupils; slender and powerfully built with sleek muscling, powerful forelimbs, a large head, light pink nose that leads to semi-round upper-lips on the sides, and whiskers; a long, black-ringed tail; powerful, strong jaws with fairly stout teeth and long, curved canines; small, rounded ears with a prominent black spot on the backs; has burning, dark red flames coming off the back and covering the tail**

**Dracule Residence: A magnificent, finely wrought covered porch wraps around the impressive Victorian estate home. The two-story foyer provides a direct view past the staircase and into the great room with a large central fireplace. To the left of the foyer is a bookshelf-lined library and to the right is an octagonal-shaped dining room. The country kitchen boasts lots of workspace and a cooktop island. A pass-through connects this room with the bright, bumped-out morning room, also containing a corner desk. A butler's pantry, walk-in closet, and broom closet offer plenty of storage space. The master suite with stunning amenities: a huge bedroom that opens to the porch; a windowed sitting area; a see-through fireplace, and an amazing bathroom with enormous His and Hers closets and a whirlpool bath. Four uniquely designed bedrooms, three full baths, and a lounge with fireplace are located on the second floor.  
><strong>**- Features: Queen Anne-Style; Country Kitchen; Fireplace; Formal Dining Room; Formal Living Room/Parlor; Great/Gathering Room; Office/Study/Den/Library; Rear Porch; Terrace; Split Bedrooms; Wraparound Porch; 5 Bedrooms; 4 Baths; 2 Half-Baths; 2 Stories; 3 Garage Bays**

**Zoro's Katanas:  
><strong>**- Wadō Ichimonji: a moderately curved, slender, single-edged, 29" black blade with a silver edge; a pure white hilt-wrapping with gray _menuki_, a golden elliptical guard, and a golden _kashira_ (pommel); the scabbard is painted white with a golden _kojiri_ (end cap)  
><strong>**- Kitetsu III: a moderately curved, slender, single-edged, 29" black blade with a silver edge and a blue flame-patterned _hamon_ (hardening line); the dark brown hilt is wrapped in reddish-brown leather rope with a golden clasp around its middle, a golden guard shaped like a rounded cross pattée, and a golden _kashira_ (pommel); the scabbard is deep red and has two golden clasps in short succession around its middle and a golden _kojiri_ (end cap)  
><strong>**- Shusui: a moderately curved, slender, single-edged, Kanemoto-style, 29" black blade with a lighter black edge and a distinct dark red reverse-wave _hamon_ (hardening line); a pure black hilt-wrapping with pale purple _menuki_, a golden guard that has flower-like edges, and a golden _kashira_ (pommel); the scabbard is black with dark red peace sign-like shapes from the opening to the bottom, a sage green (with white dots) _sageo_ (cord) wrapped around the upper-part, and a golden _kojiri_ (end cap)**

**Mihawk's Sword:  
>- <strong>**Kokutou Yoru: a 7', single-edged, black blade with a slight curve at the end and very strong sheen; a bandage-wrapped hilt with a golden cross-guard decorated by two sapphires and emeralds on the edges, four sapphires in the center, and a large sapphire over the pommel; resembles a large cross**

**Okay, another explanation: ****it's extremely hard to harm Supernatural Creatures (especially Demons), so only specially made weapons can hurt them, and the Hunters are the only ones known to own and employ these as they are extremely rare. There are several types—projectile, blunt, and bladed being the most common; each weapon is referred to as "sacred", so the bladed weapons, for example, would be referred to as "sacred blades". There are also ones known as "cursed", which are weapons that were forged in the Demon Realm and brought over to the Human Realm. They actually do more damage than the "sacred" ones, but are extremely hard to maintain and handle; its said it ****takes a special person that the weapon itself has to choose.**

**Zoro has two sacred blades (Wadō Ichimonji and Shusui) and one cursed blade (Kitetsu III). Obviously, Mihawk also has a sacred blade (Kokutou Yoru), though his is far more powerful than Zoro's (for obvious reasons). **

**As for Hunters, I'm kinda making it that they are _born_ as Hunters; think of it like Buffy in _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ series, though there's more than one. Since they're tasked with hunting down the naughty supernatural, they're made stronger and tougher than normal Humans, their senses raised as well. So, to someone with Sight, they'd look different—not quite Human, but not quite Supernatural (like the previous chapter stated).**


	3. Chapter 2

**Okay, one thing I'd like to add that I forgot to is that this takes place in the "modern day". That's all I have to say, so enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _One Piece_ or any of _One Piece_'s characters mentioned in this fic.**

**Warning: This is AU. Basically, all that remains are their names, faces, and a few personality traits, but other than that, the characters in this story are mostly OOC.**

* * *

><p><em>Previously...<em>

_"Oh my god." Perona gasped out shakily, her hand moving to cover her mouth in shock._

_"What the…what the hell?!" Zoro exclaimed harshly, eye wide in confusion. "Who the fuck are these people?!"_

* * *

><p>Laying in front of them, under the disbelieving stare of Zoro and Perona, were five figures—three young men, one young lady, and what looked to be a large, furry animal with…were those <em>antlers<em>? Zoro moved next to Wadō before dropping down into a squat to get a closer look at them, though it was hard with the lack of visibility the rain caused. What he _could_ discern was that none of them were dressed in any coats or hats or protection one would usually procure with a huge storm happening. Perona edged a little closer, standing right behind Zoro.

"Are th-they…" Perona swallowed down the tremor before asking again, "Are they still alive?"

Zoro reached a hand out to the closest figure he could make out and placed two fingers on what he thinks was the neck; after feeling the steady thumping under his touch, he nodded, causing Perona to let out a relieved breath. Zoro reached over to the other shapes scattered around and also felt the steady thrumming of pulses going, signaling they were all alive. Soaked to the bone and unconscious, yes, but still alive.

Now, they were at a loss as to what they should do.

"Should we call someone?" Perona finally asked quietly, leaning over Zoro's shoulder to try and get a closer look.

"How?" Zoro asked back, looking at her. "We didn't exactly bring our cellphones with us." He sighed out. "And even if we did, I doubt we'd be able to get a signal out here…or be able to use them in the rain."

They looked at each other as they thought over their possibilities coupled with the facts at hand, and didn't like the outcomes they came up with. The easiest solution would be to go back and get their phones, maybe call an ambulance, but leaving these strangers out here in the storm didn't seem smart, or safe. Not to mention, the closest hospital to them was a little ways a way, two towns over, and who knows if an ambulance could even _make_ it in this storm. And using their truck was out, since there was no room to fit any of them, or even make it out to the ravine they were in.

"Where the hell did these guys even come from?" Zoro asked, laying hand on Wadō's back.

Perona ran a hand through her drenched hair, completely lost. "Could they be campers?" But that option didn't seem likely, seeing as there are no campsites anywhere around here, nor do they even look like they're dressed for a camping trip or have any of the equipment.

"Camping in weather like this would be suicidal." Zoro commented, pushing himself into a standing position. "And this storm has been a few days in the making, so it wasn't a sudden occurrence."

They were out of options, minus one obvious one. But he didn't like it. Something was niggling at him that something was _off_ about this whole situation, the same feeling he felt earlier when he was running, and yet… He looked at Perona and could tell she was thinking the same thing as him.

Perona hugged herself as she said, "We can't leave them out here like this. Not in this weather. They'll just get worse, and maybe even die."

Zoro rubbed his eyes, considering his options. Bringing them back would be the humane option, right? He could tell Perona already made up her mind, but probably because she's the one who could see the spirits, has heard the sad stories they carry with them, and the thought of letting people die who she could of easily saved didn't sit well with her. He sighed out. Well, if they decided to start trouble, he's confident enough he can protect himself and Perona. Plus, they have Wadō and Kumashi. They'd never let anyone harm them…and it _was_ them who led the two of them to these strangers in the first place. Something tells Zoro that _wasn't_ a coincidence.

"Okay." Zoro said, looking at the pink-haired girl. "We'll bring them back to the house. But _how_ to do that is the question."

He, himself, could likely handle two of them, and, despite her appearance, Perona is rather strong, so she could probably grab one of them…but that still leaves one uncounted for. And not to mention the deer thing.

Wadō and Kumashi moved out of the way some as Zoro walked closer to the strangers, bending down to grab the closest one to him. Perona moved up next to him, staring down at the group as well, biting her lower-lip.

"I could try to handle two of them?" Perona said uncertainly, looking over at Zoro.

"Not for the amount of distance we'd have to cover." Zoro answered automatically, still thinking through options in his head.

Before they could come to any solution, however, one of the members of the group started moving. The two of them startled and Perona jumped back some as they watched the large deer start to move, unsteadily getting up onto its legs. Once it, _he_—it does have rather large, branched-out antlers, so it must be male—looked like he found his balance, he moved his head and eyed the two of them. Zoro's muscles instantly tensed when he felt his nerves go on-edge; he didn't know if this animal was a pet or wild, but it didn't matter either way. Him and Perona were strangers to him, and that made the deer dangerous.

Zoro suddenly blinked when he saw something almost _shimmer_ around the deer's form, but before he could examine that any closer, Perona was hitting his arm.

"What do we do now?" Perona whispered, staying still so she didn't accidentally spook the deer.

The deer let out an angry sound, stomping his front hoof, but Zoro noticed it wasn't them he was staring at, but at the person Zoro held in his arms. He looked down at the form, the stranger still only a faint outline in the rainy night, before back up at the deer.

Perona noticed it as well. "Zoro, put him down." She laid a hand on his shoulder, gripping harshly. "The deer—" the two jumped when the deer let out another angry sound, but Perona continued, "—he seems protective, so put him down. _Now."_

But Zoro was nothing if not stubborn. "Why should I? We're trying to help them. If we leave them, they'll probably die, right? So whether he likes it or not, these guys are coming with us." Zoro didn't know where that came from, but he's sticking to it. It feels right. His instincts are telling him not to back down here, that he needs to help these strangers, and he _always_ trusts his instincts; they've been honed over the years, from his time on his own and then through strict training.

The deer apparently didn't like that statement because he let out an angry snort and started pawing the ground, shaking his head around and waving those wicked-looking antlers; he's probably a second away from charging.

Perona's hand clamped down harder on Zoro's shoulder, frightened, but they didn't need to worry for long. Faster than a streak of lightning, both Wadō and Kumashi planted themselves in front of Zoro and Perona, respectively, crouched down and making low, growling noises. Wadō and the deer are roughly the same size while Kumashi is just a little smaller than both, so they weren't in any real danger but Perona made a surprised noise anyways.

"Kumashi!" Perona exclaimed, looking ready to move forward.

"Don't." Zoro hissed out, shaking his head. "Look."

They watched, in amazement, as the combined force of Wadō and Kumashi actually caused the deer to back up a few unsteady steps, looking warily at the two other animals. Zoro and Perona waited a few more seconds, but the deer did nothing more than glance from side to side and paw the ground, not making any more aggressive actions.

Zoro smiled with pride. "Good job, Wadō." The Hellhound looked behind her and let out a happy _woof_.

Perona dropped to a crouch next to Kumashi and scratched his head. "Thanks, Kumashi." The Hellcat rubbed his head into Perona's touch happily.

"Well, now that he doesn't look ready to attack, let's grab the others." Zoro said, looking over at Perona. "We need to get them out of this rain."

She nodded, moving forward some and searched for the slimmest-looking form before sliding one arm underneath a pair of shoulders and her other underneath the knees; spreading her feet, Perona pushed up and steadied herself, nodding at Zoro that she was okay. Looking down, she noticed she grabbed the female stranger.

"I can get one more of them, but I don't know what to do about the last one." Zoro said, glancing down at the forms still laying on the floor.

They then watched, in bemusement, as the deer shuffled forward some before nudging one of the forms on the ground and then up at Zoro; he repeated the gesture several times before Zoro finally got what he was doing.

"He wants to carry one of them." Zoro said and the deer seemed to nod, giving Zoro a look that seemed to call him an idiot; ignoring that (how could a deer even _make _that expression?), he placed the one he was holding back on the ground and shuffled forward carefully, still wary, before lifting up the form the deer was nudging and placing it on his back. "There you go."

"Well, that takes care of that problem." Perona stated, rearranging the woman in her arms again.

"That it does." Zoro grunted as he reached down to pick up the remaining two forms, slinging the both of them over his shoulders like sacks of potatoes, but it worked. "Now, the only problem left is how the hell to get out of here."

Just then, Wadō came running back to them, barking happily and wagging her tail before turning and taking off in, what looked like, a random direction, Kumashi right on her tail.

"Seems Wadō has our way home." Perona said, letting out a sigh. "Let's just follow her. I want to get out of this damn rain."

Zoro nodded in agreement and, with one last look around the ravine, the two of them, plus the deer and their cargo, followed after the Hellhound, neither noticing how the colors they saw earlier started flashing wildly before blinking out completely.

* * *

><p>To say Zoro and Perona were exhausted would be a <em>massive<em> understatement of epic proportions; Perona had long since lost feeling in her arms and both of Zoro's shoulders were sorer than they have ever been before. The only good thing to happen was that the storm started dying out, the heavy downpour turning into a light rain shower that cleared up some of the clouds, allowing the moon to finally shine through and illuminate their path. It took longer to get back than it did to get there, but when they finally exited the forest and saw the back of their house, they let out loud sighs of relief.

Wadō nudged open the backdoor and the other two gratefully made their way to it, heading through the covered porch and into the grand room. Perona deposited the one in her arms onto the couch while Zoro slid the two from his shoulders onto the ground; the two shook out their sore muscles immediately after, stretching some. Perona then said she was gonna go get them some towels and dry clothes before leaving the room, Kumashi following behind her, while Zoro looked around, not at all surprised to see that the deer followed them in and was now looking at him. Not in the mood for words, he walked over to the deer, too tired to be cautious, and grabbed the one from his back and laid it down next to the others.

The floors were sopping wet now, but he could care less; they're just lucky Mihawk was out of town or he'd be livid about the state of things. After giving the deer a stern look that said _don't destroy anything_, he walked into the kitchen before dropping down into one of the bar stools lining the island. Wadō made a questioning noise in the back of her throat before sitting and resting her head on Zoro's lap; Zoro moved his hand to run through her fur, but still stayed quiet. Maybe ten minutes passed by, Zoro almost falling asleep where he sat, before he heard the sound of Perona making her way down the stairs; a second later, fabric was being thrown at his face.

"Get out of those clothes before you catch a cold." Perona said, herself already in dry red sweatpants and a black tee. "I'm going to go check on our guests."

"Guests." Zoro snorted before doing what Perona said, pulling off his sopping sweatshirt and throwing it on the ground, then shucking off his sleep pants; he pulled on the gray sweatpants Perona grabbed followed by the white t-shirt. He had to admit, being in dry clothes _did_ improve his mood slightly.

"Feel better now?" Perona asked a few minutes later when she walked into the room, heading over to the stove and grabbing the kettle; after filling it up with water, she set it back and turned on the stove, letting the water boil.

"Fan-fucking-tastic." Zoro grumped out, flickering his glance over to Kumashi when he jumped up onto the island. "How are they?" He ran a lazy hand down the Hellcat's back, smirking in amusement when he started purring.

Perona turned and leaned against the counter. "I dried what I could and by what I can see, none of them are severely hurt." She crossed her arms. "We won't know more until they wake up."

Zoro nodded and they lapsed into silence, Zoro staring out the window at the dwindling storm while Perona contemplated her nails. Several minutes later, the tea kettle started whistling, jolting the two out of their thoughts as Perona turned off the stove and picked up the kettle, placing it off to the side. She then reached up into the cabinets and pulled down two mugs, followed by two teabags; grabbing the kettle again, she poured the boiling water over it and then placed it back before grabbing the mugs and placing one in front of Zoro. He started some at the noise before nodding his thanks, watching as the water turned brown from the tea leaves.

"I wonder what they were doing out there." Perona said, seemingly to herself, as she drunk her tea and stroked Kumashi, staring at nothing.

"Nothing normal, that's for sure." Zoro muttered, taking a sip of tea and letting out a pleased noise; the tea was really warm and felt good.

"Here, I brought these down too." Perona said, gesturing to the blankets she placed at the end of the counter. "I guessed we weren't going to leave this area."

Zoro snorted but nodded in agreement. After finishing his tea, he headed to the master bedroom (Mihawk's room) and grabbed one of the armchairs from the sitting area, dragging it to the corner of the grand room, next to the love seat that was already there.

"I'll take this." Zoro said, plopping down onto it and grabbing the blanket Perona offered to him.

"This wasn't some weird dream, was it?" Perona asked quietly, dropping down onto the love seat and wrapping her own blanket around her; Kumashi jumped up a second later, settling himself at the end, near her feet.

"As much as I want it to be, no." Zoro answered around a yawn, head already resting on the back of the chair. "Go to sleep. We'll see what happens in the morning." Wadō twirled herself around before settling in front of the armchair, right at Zoro's feet.

"'Kay." Perona said, yawning as well. "Night."

Zoro just grunted back, already feeling his consciousness fading away. His last thought was of the weird flashes he'd seen surrounding the strangers as they carried them back before sleep finally claimed him.

* * *

><p><strong>And, that's a wrap. Let me know what you think! There's really nothing for me to explain in this one, <strong>**soooo...yeah. Until next time! XD**


	4. Chapter 3

**I don't really have anything to add here, but there will be some info at the end of this, so for right now...enjoy! Well, actually, one thing: ****everybody (except when I introduce Franky, and obviously Brook) are based on their post-timeskip appearances. That's it! Now you can enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _One Piece_ or any of _One Piece_'s characters mentioned in this fic.**

**Warning: This is AU. Basically, all that remains are their names, faces, and a few personality traits, but other than that, the characters in this story are mostly OOC.**

* * *

><p>"Zoro."<p>

Something sharp broke through his consciousness, but he pushed it away, too tired to care.

"Zoro!"

Now it was sharp _and _loud, but he still didn't wake.

_"Zoro!"_ followed by a _slap_.

"OW!" the green-haired sleeper shouted as his eye immediately opened. "What the hell do you want?!" It sounded like he was talking with gravel and sand in his throat.

As his mind switched from sleepy to awake, he noticed how _hot_ he was, like he was burning from the inside out; his head was throbbing as well, and his throat felt like someone cut it up before pouring lemon juice down it. Unfortunately, he knows what that particular feeling feels like; Mihawk could be…extremely harsh in his training when he felt like it.

"Zoro." His brain finally caught the frightened edge in Perona's voice and looked up at her, eyebrow cocked in question. "_Look_."

Zoro followed her pointer finger before he blanched. Something in his mind finally kickstarted, waking him up instantly, but he still just stared at the sight in front of him. It seemed the deer thing was awake, but now he looked…really different. Definitely different. And he wasn't the only one awake—it seemed the woman decided to join the land of the living as well.

But that's not what has Zoro stumped.

He blinked. He blinked again. He did it repeatedly before everything finally clicked into place and he dropped his head back, letting out a loud groan that instantly morphed into a coughing fit. Of course. Of fucking _course_. Now he realizes what it was he saw last night after the storm cleared up—the thing that tickled the back of his mind the whole way back that he ignored since he was so damn _tired_—because now he sees it surrounding the two beings in front of him, flashes and sparkles that looked like fireworks going off; he finally understands what it is now that he's had some sleep and the morning light is filtering through the windows, lighting up the room. His Sight was telling him this same exact thing last night, but since it was in its "Passive" mode, the only thing it could tell him was that these people are _not_ Human, but that's about it. Yet he still ignored it. Stupid! _Stupid!_

"They aren't Human, are they?" Perona whispered to Zoro, hand gripping his bicep tightly.

Zoro just shook his head.

The deer thing that came back with them had…transformed, for lack of a better word. He was now a humanoid-looking creature, a good three or four heads taller than Zoro, covered in the same golden tan fur as the deer form, and with the antlers (though there's a metal plate bracing the left antler at the base they didn't see last night), but he's now standing on two legs, and instead of hoofs, there are feet and hands, and around his neck is a pale sandy-colored ruff; weirder still is the fact that the nose is _blue_ and he's wearing a hat—a blue cap that has a ring of dots around the circle, while the cap has buckles hanging from it—and a pair of dark maroon shorts.

Now, the woman is a different story. To regular people, she appears to be young and rather beautiful, nothing too strange about her. She's maybe an inch shorter than Perona and has wavy, hip-length hair the color of tangerines with choppy bangs and two chest-length strands framing her face, burgundy-brownish eyes, fair skin, a little sharper-than-normal canine teeth, and a slender, well-endowed, hourglass figure; around her left wrist is a gold bracelet, in her ears are pale lavender pearl studs, and covering her left deltoid is an indigo tattoo that represents a tangerine and pinwheel. She's dressed in what looks to be a short, tattered orange dress while some kind of black band is circling her right upper-thigh, holding three short, cyan blue tubes of some kind.

Zoro lifted his head back up, blinked the rest of the sleep from his eye, and finally switched to Active Sight. The deer thing looked the same as before, since he's already pretty odd-looking to begin with; the only thing that remained are the flashes surrounding him. But the woman…Zoro could see her clear as day now. Sticking up from her hair are upright, triangular, dark orange-furred ears, her eyes are more burgundy with vertically oval pupils, the canines of her teeth are extremely sharp and a bit longer, and sticking out from under her dress, lazily swishing back and forth, is a long, bushy dark orange-furred tail tipped with white. But that's not the only thing he saw as his gaze wandered down to the still-unconscious ones.

_Great,_ Zoro let out another groan, again followed by a coughing fit.

"Quit doing that!" Perona scolded, lightening her grip on his arm and looking at him with concern.

Zoro ignored her as the truth of what, exactly, they brought into their house with them hit him. Hard. Like several bricks to the face.

"Demons," Zoro muttered. "We went and brought fucking _Demons_ into the house."

"What did you just say?" The two snapped their heads over when they heard a voice, not their own, speak, seeing that it was the orange-haired woman who did so.

Zoro let out a sigh as he pulled himself up into more of a sitting position and looked between their two awake "guests".

"I have no doubt you just heard what I said." Zoro said, throat still killing him, but ignored it. "But I'll repeat it anyway. I _said_ I can't believe we brought _Demons_ into the house."

Perona's eyes opened in shock as she looked between Zoro and the strangers while the other two just stared at Zoro in confusion.

"What are you—" the orange-haired woman started, but was cut off by Zoro.

"To be fair, he's," Zoro pointed to the deer creature, "not a Demon. I'm guessing a Shifter, given that you came into here in a different form than this one. But the rest of you…yeah, definitely Demon." Zoro's gaze locked with the woman's. "You, in particular, are a Kitsune." He smirked. "You're the first one I've even seen in person, actually."

The woman looked close to having a fit while the deer creature stared at him in disbelief.

_"How?!"_ the woman finally screeched out. "I'm in my human form!"

Perona looked away from Zoro to the woman. "That may be true, but you can't hide from someone with the Sight."

**. . .**

"You!" she exclaimed, pointing at Zoro. "_You_ have the Sight?!"

"Didn't she just say that?" Zoro said rhetorically before he started coughing even harder.

"Dammit, Zoro, stop doing that!" Perona exclaimed before moving her hand to rest on his forehead and hissing. "You're burning up! You got sick, didn't you?!"

"I'm fine." Zoro grumped, even as his voice sounded otherwise.

"I can't take it!" the deer creature finally exploded, causing everyone (awake) to look at him in surprise—Zoro and Perona from the fact he can _talk_ and the orange-haired one that he actually talked at all.

"Chopper, what are you doing?" the woman asked plainly.

"This idiot's sick, Nami, and he's doing everything he can to make it worse!" Chopper, apparently, said, pointing at Zoro.

"Who the hell are you calling an idiot!?" Zoro shouted, though regretted it when he started coughing again.

"Stop talking!" Chopper shouted.

"I will not take orders from a talking, shifting deer!" Zoro said, crossing his arms stubbornly.

"_Rein_deer!" Chopper yelled. "I'm a _rein_deer, dammit! Why does everyone get that wrong?!"

The Kitsune, _Nami_, just shrugged.

"Deer, reindeer, doesn't matter!" Zoro said, shaking his head. "I'm just fine either way."

"You are _not_ fine!" Chopper said, stomping over to him and laying a hand over his forehead, despite Zoro's struggles. "You are running a high fever and coughing and you sound like your talking through glass shards. You have a cold."

"Do not." Zoro stated.

"How the hell did you manage to get one?" Nami asked, head cocked to the side.

Zoro's one eye narrowed into a glare that he leveled at the woman. "Saving _your_ dumb asses in the middle of a torrential rainstorm!"

Nami blinked in surprise. "Oh. Is that how we ended up here?"

Perona nodded her head.

"Hm." Nami said, looking around the room, but said nothing else.

"Get off me!" Zoro shouted as Chopper tried to hold him down, brandishing a thermometer he got from…somewhere.

"Not until I take your temperature!" Chopper yelled back, struggling to keep his grip on Zoro.

Perona blinked before getting out of the way, moving to stand near the back door; she didn't want to be in the middle of…whatever that is. She then heard a scratch at the door and looked down, eyes widening when she saw Wadō and Kumashi sitting in front of it, staring up at her. She forget she let them out earlier because they kept sniffing at the strangers and she didn't want them disturbing them. Should she let them in or…

Her thoughts were cut off when, after a particularly loud shout from Zoro, another head popped up, this time from the floor, and started looking around.

"Breakfast time? Where's the meat?" he asked, blinking sleepily as he looked around; his sleepiness then morphed into confusion. "Where am I?"

Nami looked down at the ground in surprise before a smile lifted her lips. "Luffy! You're awake!"

Perona blinked before following the orange-head's gaze and looked over this "Luffy".

He looked to be around her height and has mediumish, messy raven black hair with choppy-spiky fringe, chocolate brown eyes, light tan skin, and a lean, muscular body; he also has two visible scars: a horizontal scar with two stitches underneath his left eye and a large X-shaped burn scar over his chest. He's dressed in some sort of red long-sleeved top (that's been ripped down the center) and black pants, and hanging from a chin-string over his back is a straw hat with a red band circling it. She wonders what Zoro would see if he looked at the guy…

Before anything else could be said, however, Nami's happy expression quickly turned into a truly frightening one as she stomped over to the ravenette before harshly bashing him over the head.

_"Ow! Nami!"_ the boy whined out, grabbing onto his head; his actions were of someone who was used to this treatment, however.

"We're in the _Human Realm_, you moron! How the hell did we end up here?!" Nami shouted, fists propped on her hips as she stared the ravenette down.

Luffy blinked owlishly at her before sticking his pinky up his nose and simply saying, "Don't know."

Nami's face turned a dangerous shade of red before she screamed out in aggravation and threw her hands in the air, turning away from him; no one noticed how some of the lights flickered with her rage. "I don't know why I even _bother_ anymore!"

"Shishishi."

Nami whirled back around. "This isn't a laughing matter, Luffy!" She then pointed at Perona. "These people risked their lives bringing us back to their home, and they didn't even know who we _were_!"

Zoro finally wedged his legs in between him and Chopper, planting his feet on the Shifter's stomach, before pushing, sending him flying back into the opposite wall.

"Finally." Zoro groaned out, shaking out his arms; he's gonna have bruises later thanks to the harsh grip the reindeer had on him.

Nami then moved her finger to Zoro, who blinked back at her in confusion. "And he's sick because of it!"

Luffy followed her finger, but when his gaze landed on the green-haired guy, he froze, his heart and breathing stopping almost completely. A feeling, one he has never felt before in his life, gripped him tight and before he knew what he was even _doing_, he was whispering the ancient mantra beneath his breath before Luffy let the collected energy go, feeling half his soul leave him and head towards the green-haired one, the bond sealing immediately once it was done. Zoro flinched when he felt something hot and almost sharp sting the area between his hip and lower-back, on the right side. But before he could investigate it further, or get a good look at the new awake one, the stupid Shifter was coming back at him, still waving around that damn thermometer.

"I said keep that thing away from me!" Zoro grunted, giving Chopper one hell of a glare.

"Would you stop acting like a child, Zoro!" Perona called out, walking over to the porch door to finally let in Wadō and Kumashi. "He's just trying to help."

"Help my ass." Zoro said, still glaring. "I'm just fine!" The coughing fit he went into after disproved his statement.

"Idiot." Perona muttered, opening the door, stepping back when the animals came zooming in.

Kumashi did a lap around the room before gracefully jumping up and landing on the fireplace mantle, sitting right next to Perona's head while Wadō…well, she could see Zoro was distressed, so she did what she thought was right: she immediately got in between Zoro and the threat, crouching down and letting out a low warning growl.

Perona giggled, reaching a hand up to pet Kumashi; this should be interesting.

"Wadō," _cough cough_ "calm down. Everything's" _cough_ "okay." Zoro said, still hacking up a lung.

Chopper had backed away as soon as he saw Wadō (still remembering last night) while Luffy merely looked at the animal with curiosity. He looked at Wadō, then at Zoro, then back down, then over at Zoro, then back down at Wadō.

"What _are_ you doing, Luffy?" Nami asked, rubbing her temples.

"Uh…I wanna ask a question but you told me never to say our true selves aloud in front of Humans." Luffy said, blinking innocently.

Nami rolled her eyes; trust him to listen to her _now_. "Don't worry about these two, Luffy. They know." When Luffy looked at her, wide-eyed, she merely pointed at Zoro. "That one has the Sight. He can see our true selves regardless."

"Ahh." Luffy said, banging his left fist in his open right palm. "That's why you guys have a Hellhound and Hellcat."

Zoro just nodded, feeling really sleepy, but fighting off the feeling all the same. Again, he's very stubborn.

Luffy could see this happening and, not wanting him to suffer (though no idea _why_ he feels this way), he sighed out before squinting his eyes in concentration before suddenly flaring them open, sending out a short burst that directly hit Zoro and knocked him out immediately; he was too weak to fight it, which was what Luffy was hoping for, 'cause he doesn't think it'd work otherwise. Wadō looked behind her, letting out a low whine at Zoro's state, before looking back up, growling again. Luffy did the same thing again, causing the Hellhound to stand down or risk being overwhelmed.

Luffy smiled and walked passed her, patting her on the head. "Good girl." He then turned. "Chopper! Come get him now. He should be more corporative."

Chopper looked at Luffy with confusion before rushing over; he could question the boy later. He stuck the thermometer (finally) in his mouth before moving to scoop him up, looking back at Perona a second later. "Where's his room?"

"Up the stairs, first door on the right." Perona said, walking to kitchen. "I'll bring up a bowl of water and a washcloth." Zoro didn't seem all too worried about these people, even if they _are_ Demons, so Perona isn't going to worry much until Zoro let's her know otherwise.

After a look from Luffy, Nami walked over to the pink-haired girl. "Let me help." When Perona looked at her questionably, she added, "It's the least we could do." Perona shrugged and then the grand room was empty, save Luffy and Wadō; Kumashi had followed behind Perona.

"So, what _is_ a Hellhound doing with a Human?" Luffy asked, moving to sit down in front of Wadō, indian-style. "It can't just be because he has the Sight. It takes something very special for a Hellhound to stay with a Human." He looked in the direction the girls went. "A Hellcat too. At least, that's what Ace told me once." He looked back at the dog. "So, what happened?"

Wadō cocked her head before leaning it down, inviting him to place his hand on top; she recognized who this boy was the moment she felt his power, so she has no doubt he understands what she's asking him to do. Luffy pursed his lips in contemplation before doing what the Hellhound asked of him. After placing a hand on her head, he closed his eyes and let himself be drawn into the memory Wadō was pulling up. The memory of the day she met Zoro…

* * *

><p><strong>Four Years Ago<strong>

_The Hellhound let out a low whine as she dragged her tired, beaten body off into some bushes, immediately changing into her "regular dog" form so she wouldn't draw any attention. She couldn't go home, not now, not after killing nearly every single Hellhound her stupid cousin sent after her, as well as said stupid cousin. She let out another whine, resting her head on her front paws. She didn't even _**_want_**_ to be the next Head of Family; it wasn't her fault she was the oldest, nor that she's female (which was really the whole problem). She turned her head to lick her wounds some; she'll plan her next move once she heals up. It seems staying in the Human Realm is her smartest (and only) option right now._

_"Shit." The Hellhound's head popped up when she heard a deep voice some feet away from her hiding place. "Where the hell am I?" A deep groan. "I got lost. Perona's never going to let me hear the end of it."_

_There was some leaves crunching and the sound of branches being pushed back before the noises ceased immediately. The Hellhound remained still, not wanting to be discovered; she's in no shape to protect herself and who knows what this stranger will do to her? Not all people in this Realm are bad, but the stories she's heard are enough to make her cautious._

_"What are you doing here?" the voice sounded from above her._

_The Hellhound twisted her head to look up before letting out a low warning growl that tapered off into a whine as her movements agitated her wounds. The Human stopped at the sounds, pausing slightly before moving forward again, shifting the bushes to get a better look at her._

_"You don't look so good." The male muttered, eyes wandering over her body. _

_She let out another growl, but it sounded weak._

_"Why aren't you healing already?" the man asked, squatting down next to her. "Hellhounds have fast recovery rates, or so my dad tells me."_

_She blinked, looking at the Human in shock. She's in her "normal" dog form, yet he knew she's a Hellhound. Does that mean…_

_The male must have noticed the confused look on her face (yes, she can make an expression like that) because he then said, "I have the Sight, so I can tell you're a Hellhound." He reached a hand out, but stilled when she let out another growl. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you."_

_The Hellhound gave him a scrutinizing look before laying her head back down, giving him permission._

_He then moved his hand down and laid it gently on her side. He sifted through the fur, carefully feeling out the bumps, bruises and gashes along her body, stilling every so often when she'd let out pained noises. After some time passed by, he removed his hand and rocked back onto his heels, head cocked as he studied her._

_"The wounds _**_are_**_ healing, but slowly. Very slowly." He pursed his lips. "You were attacked by another Hellhound, weren't you?" She nodded very slowly. "I thought so, but seeing as you're here and still alive, I'm guessing you won that particular fight, huh?"_

_She let out a proud woof._

_He chuckled. "I like that. You're strong, I can tell that by the strength of the flames covering your body. Old, too." He sighed. "Since you can't talk, that's about all I can tell about you. I'm Zoro, by the way. I didn't mean to stumble on you, but I got a…bit turned around when I was heading home and ended up here. I guess it's a good thing, though."_

_She lifted her head up some to look at him before her eyes glanced at the sky quickly. Oh great, it's about to…_

_"Ah, hell." The male, _**_Zoro_**_, groaned as the sky opened up and it started pouring. "That's just fantastic." He glanced down at her, studying her, seeming to come to some kind of decision, before removing his jacket and laying it over her._

_She lifted and craned her head back, ignoring the pain that action caused, and gave him a confused look._

_"I can't leave you here." Zoro said, his tone basically calling her stupid. "I'll bring you back to my house and have my dad look you over." He spread his feet before slipping his arms underneath her, pushing himself up while cradling her in his arms. "You can take your time and heal. After you're better, you can do whatever you'd like."_

_She let out a whine, the shifting causing her injuries to throb, before looking up at the Human. He's really going to help her? Bring her somewhere safe and warm? She didn't have the luxury of questioning it, nor could she fight back, but something inside her told her this man meant her no harm. She finally let out a long breath as her eyes slipped closed, slipping into unconsciousness._

* * *

><p>"I see." Luffy said as he removed his hand from her head. "He saved you, brought you back with him, and because of it, you linked yourself to him."<p>

Wadō looked up at him before nodding.

"And now you protect him." Luffy finished. "After what happened to you, I'm not surprised that you wouldn't want to go back to the Demon Realm." Luffy tilted his head in curiosity then. "Did something similar happen with that Hellcat too?"

Wadō nodded.

"Interesting." Luffy murmured, eyes straying over to the stairs that Chopper disappeared up an hour ago.

_Bark!_

Luffy's gaze switched back to the Hellhound, eyebrow raised. "What was that?"

Wadō narrowed her eyes some before letting out several barks, but to Luffy, he could understand what the Hellhound was saying like she was speaking normally to him.

"You could tell that already?" Luffy asked, a little surprised. "The scent blanket shouldn't have taken hold for at least a few more hours."

Another bark, this one sounding slightly insulted.

Luffy let out his signature laugh. "Yeah, I guess you'd have better senses than most other people."

Wadō let loose another string of barks, this time sounding slightly demanding and maybe a little protective.

Luffy sighed, wrapping his arms around his legs before resting his chin on his bent knees. "I don't know how it happened, or why. I just felt this need grip me when I looked at him. Before I knew it, I was casting the bonding on him."

Wadō's eyes narrowed as her head cocked, studying the Demon in front of her.

"He now owns half my soul and doesn't even know it." Luffy said, almost self-deprecatingly, before letting out an unhappy grump. "The bonding is supposed to be done by two people who know what's going on, so that the soul transferring is done by both. Having it this way makes everything unbalanced." Luffy cocked his head thoughtfully. "Well, that's what Ace and Shanks are always telling me. I didn't think I'd ever _use_ the bonding, so I didn't really pay much attention when they were telling my about it. Shishishi."

Wadō was still studying him, trying to figure him out, before finally concluding this Demon is no threat to Zoro. She's never heard of a bonding done without both people talking extensively about it before going to a private location to cast it, but it seems it could happen. Plus, with _this_ particular Demon and his…position in the Demon Realm, anything is possible, she guesses. So, she gave out another series of barks, these a lot friendlier.

Luffy gave her a slightly surprised look before a wide smile overtook his face. "Really? You're okay with it?"

Wadō just gave him a stern look before another bark.

"Shishishi. I won't hurt him. I don't think I _could, _to be honest." Luffy said, head tilted, before saying, "He called you Wadō, right?" She nodded. "That's a nice name. Mine's Luffy."

A bark, a bit condescending.

"Well, given how old and powerful you are, I'm not surprised you know who I am." Luffy sighed out. "And you know who my Family is, right?"

A confirming bark.

"Right, right." Luffy nodded, propping his chin on his fist. "And you're still okay with the bonding thing, even knowing all that?"

Wadō just looked at him.

"Yeah, I guess there's really no choice, huh?" Luffy glanced at the stairs again; he immediately jolted when a head nudged his side. "What?" he asked the Hellhound, confused.

Another nudge, followed by an encouraging bark.

"You want me to go upstairs?" Another bark. "To Zoro?" A confirming bark. "Okay, okay. I'm going." Wadō nudged Luffy's side again. "Stop pushing!" Luffy laughed, giving the Hellhound a smile before springing to his feet, heading over to the stairs.

Wadō laid down onto the ground, closing her eyes. She'll give the Demon some privacy for right now, but she'll go up there in a little bit to check on Zoro. Wadō has a feeling she'll end up really liking this Demon, regardless of who he _actually_ is.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there you have it. We met Nami, Luffy and Chopper (again), and you got some background on Wadō. <strong>

**Okay, as for the bonding...****when a Supernatural "bond" with someone, half their soul is literally given to that person, and, in return, half of that soul goes back. The half of the soul "blankets" over the "bondee" (for lack of a better term), covering them with the scent and letting others know this one has been claimed. On the body of the "bondee" a mark appears, which is the "bonder's" initials, looking kind of like a scar or raised fleshed, and you can't really see it unless you look for it, and an identical one appears on the "bonder" when the "bondee" returns their half of the soul. ****If the "bondee" is a Human, that Human will stay alive until the "bonder" is dead. **

**Oh, and Luffy can understand what Wadō is saying because he has the ability to hear the "Voice of All Things" (like in the show). He can do that will all different things, and only one other person had it before him, which is Gol D. Roger. The whole "Family" thing will be explained in the next chapter, so be patient. Oh, and Robin will make an appearance finally! Well, that's it for now! Please let me know what you think.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Ok, here's the next one. Like promised, Robin finally makes her appearance. There's something quick I want to add and its that this fic isn't _overly_ ZoLu. It's just, whenever I right a fic involving the Straw Hats, I kinda _have_ to add some ZoLu in there. It's ****compulsive since I love that ship so freakin' much. Well, that's it for now. I hope you like!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _One Piece_ or any of _One Piece_'s characters mentioned in this fic.**

**Warning: This is AU. Basically, all that remains are their names, faces, and a few personality traits, but other than that, the characters in this story are mostly OOC.**

* * *

><p>Luffy headed up the stairs, passing by Chopper as he headed back down, giving Luffy nothing but a stern look before rounding the corner and disappearing from his sight. His eyes lingered after Chopper for a second before shrugging and going up the rest of the stairs, walking a short distance down the hallway until he was standing in front of a half-opened door. Breathing out, he slowly pushed it the rest of the way open as he took a step in, glancing around the room.<p>

It was a long, octagonal room painted a dark forest green with dark wood floors, a fluffy maroon rug placed in the center of the room, and three windows on the far wall, across from the door (where he was standing); a long, black sofa is located underneath the windows, against one of the side walls is a king-sized bed, covered by a green bedspread, with the dark iron-framed headboard resting against the wall, and across from the bed is a chest of drawers where a large flat-screen TV rested on top of it. Little knick-knacks and photos were spread throughout, but it was mostly neat and tidy, save a few dirty clothes littered here and there.

Luffy walked further inside, kicking the door shut behind him absentmindedly, his gaze now riveted on the three swords resting on the wall above the bed. _He's a swordsman?_ Luffy wondered to himself, coming to a stop next to the bed. His eyes then flickered down, to where Zoro was currently laying, moving from the unconsciousness Luffy put him in into restful sleeping. Luffy's smiled widened as he felt a sense of comfort envelope him, the feeling of being away from half his soul tapering away. But before he could relax, he has to be sure the bonding stuck.

Reaching forward, he took ahold of the comforter pulled up around Zoro's neck and started peeling it back, letting it rest at his knees before leaning back to study his form. He reached his hand forward, hovering over Zoro's chest, and let his mind shut off as he allowed his soul to guide his movements, trying to find the mark; it took a few seconds, but his hand finally rested around Zoro's hip, though more near the back. Letting his fingers drift down, he pushed the shirt up out of the way before pulling down on the waistband of his sweats slightly, squatting down to get a better look.

"There you are." Luffy whispered, a soft smile on his face as he spotted the slightly raised flesh, mimicking a scar, that bares his initials in elegant script—_MDL_.

His fingers twitched forward, landing on the mark and lightly stroking over it; he let out a breath when he felt the answering call in his very own soul, the mark being the place where the half of soul he gave Zoro actually entered him. It's the area that connects them, _binds_ them, so Luffy is now one-hundred percent certain he casted the bonding over this Human…and he still has no freakin' clue as to _why_ he even did it. It was driving him insane! And once it's discovered just what he did…

Luffy shivered in fear at the thought of Nami's reaction. The orange-haired Kitsune scares him like nothing and no one else…except maybe his grandpa.

He retracted his hand from Zoro's flesh, letting the clothes settle back into place, before pulling the comforter back around Zoro, but paused when a thought occurred to him. He let the blanket slip from his fingers before pulling the waistband down again as he stared at the mark once more; leaning down further, he swallowed to wet his suddenly dry throat before placing his lips lightly over his initials. Closing his eyes, he breathed a stream of air onto the mark—_into_ the mark, hopefully aiding in speeding up the Human's recovery time. If what Nami says is true, Zoro got this way saving them. It's the least he can do to help.

Luffy finally tucked the comforter back around Zoro's shoulders and smoothed it down, looking up at his face as he did so. Before he even knew what he was doing, he had laid his hand on the side of Zoro's face, his thumb coming up carefully to stoke over the raised scar tissue marring his left eyelid. What happened, he wondered. What would cause such a severe wound that he'd lose complete usage of that eye? Luffy leaned down, resting his forehead just underneath Zoro's chin, on his chest, and breathed out. He didn't want to move or leave, not just yet. His smiled widened as he listened to the comforting sound of Zoro's heart beat underneath him, letting his eyes drift shut in contentment; if you listened closely, you could probably hear him purr.

* * *

><p>Nico Robin—looking the same as she did the day she met Zoro, though currently wearing an ocean blue turtleneck sweater with slouchy sleeves, orange booty shorts, and light tan sandals—looked up at her old house with curiosity, and maybe some apprehension. She knows she's not reading the signals wrong, she's certain of that…just as sure as she was last night when she first felt them. If it wasn't for the storm, she'd have already been at the house. She supposes she's rather protective of both Zoro and Perona.<p>

"Demons, hmm?" Robin hummed to herself, glancing around again. "I wonder what their business is here."

Seeing as the powerful wards set up around the house haven't been activated, the Demons were let in by someone who lives on the property. So that means neither one of them are in danger or trouble, but she can't know that for sure until she checks it herself. Smiling to herself, Robin made her way over to the front door, pausing to consider her options, before simply knocking on the door. She heard a shout of someone that sounded like Perona from the inside followed by footsteps making their way closer to the front door before it was swung open, showcasing someone who was definitely _not_ the pink-haired Medium.

"Hello." Robin said calmly, eyes roving over the orange-haired woman in front of her before inhaling discreetly, but deeply. _A Kitsune. She's one of the Demons I sensed._

It seems the orange-head did her own scent test of her, because her eyes suddenly widened before taking a step back. "You're a Vampire." Her hands curled into fists. "What is your business here?"

Now, technically, Vampires are classified under Demons and do live in the Demon Realm, but Vampires don't have allegiances to anyone but themselves; they are the gray area in the largely black and white world Demons view themselves to be in. Vampires are finicky creatures, so Supernaturals—mainly Demons—find it hard to trust them.

Robin tilted her head. "I don't believe I have to explain myself to you." She smirked. "Unlike you, my dear, I am not a stranger."

"Nami, who are you—" Perona cut herself off when she walked into the foyer, a smile lifting her lips when she saw who was at the door. "Robin! What are you doing here?"

Nami looked between the two, but stepped back, allowing the Vampire to enter. "You know this woman?"

"Yeah. Basically my whole life." Perona said with a giggle. "This is Robin. She's a close friend."

Robin waved her hand in a friendly manner. "How do you do?"

"But she's a Vampire." Nami said, still confused.

Perona blinked. "Yeah, I know that."

"Where's Zoro?" Robin asked Perona, looking around; she didn't see Zoro, nor his Hellhound, anywhere. Peeking over Perona's shoulder, she could see Kumashi prowling around before disappearing into another room and out of sight.

"He's resting right now," another voice said as they came down the stairs. "Who are you and why are you in this house, Vampire?"

Robin moved her gaze to the stairs, curious at the protective tone she could hear present in his voice, but froze when she caught sight of _who_ it was that spoke. Her eyes widened the tiniest bit, but for someone who has such excellent control over their emotions like Robin, that little is a lot. She was dumbstruck and awestricken at the same time. She didn't want to believe it, but there's no way this boy could be _anyone_ else.

"Nami?" Luffy asked, looking over at the Kitsune as the Vampire did nothing but stare at him.

"This is Robin, Luffy." Nami answered, but gave the Vampire a weird look. "She's a friend of Zoro and Perona's."

"Really? A Vampire?" Luffy questioned, glancing over at Perona as his feet finally made contact with the marble of the foyer floor.

Perona nodded. "It was Robin's mother who actually started this town, so Robin now protects it like she once did. Like I told Nami, I've known her basically my whole life. Zoro as well." Perona looked over at the black-haired woman, but raised an eyebrow when she saw Robin's face. "Robin, you okay there?"

"You." Robin finally said, voice soft as she continued staring at Luffy. "What would someone like you be doing in the Human Realm?"

Both Nami and Luffy looked sharply at Robin, faces showing their surprise.

"What are you talking about?" Perona, however, was lost.

"Do you know just _who_ it is you two have brought into our home, Perona?" Robin asked the girl, though her eyes never left Luffy.

Ignoring the _our house_ part, Perona shrugged. "Demons, right? Zoro already saw that."

"That isn't incorrect, but that isn't what I meant." Robin said softly, slowly pushing the front door shut before leaning against it.

"How could you _possibly_ know that?" Nami asked, nerves evident in her tone, as she glanced between Luffy and Robin. "You live in the Human Realm. There's no way for you to know that information or even what he _looks_ like."

"Know _what?"_ Perona said with a huff, resting her fists on her hips. "Somebody tell me, right now, what the hell you guys are talking about!"

"Him." Robin said, nodding at Luffy. "He isn't just a regular Demon, Perona."

"Okay…" Perona said slowly, still not getting it.

She turned her gaze back to Luffy. "What_ I'd_ really like to know is just what one of the Demon Princes is doing in the Human Realm." Her head tilted. "Why are you here, Monkey D. Luffy?"

Perona froze as her eyes widened, head whipping to stare at Luffy.

Luffy's eyes met Robin's, but her gaze didn't break from his, which is highly unusual; usually nobody can keep their eyes locked with his—or any member of his Family—for too long. Just who _is_ this Vampire?

"What do you _mean_ by Demon Prince, Robin?" Perona asked, her voice nothing more than a whisper, as she stared at the Vampire.

Robin moved her gaze to the girl. "Exactly that, Perona. His dad is the current King of the Demon Realm." She crossed her arms primly in front of her. "His Family, known as the D. Family, have ruled the Realm for several millennia. They're Archdemons, a breed of extremely powerful higher-level Demons who are always born a D. and always with some sort of special power." She tilted her head in thought. "Now, there are several D. Family lines, but the strongest of them have always been the Gol D.s and," she looked over at Luffy, "the Monkey D.s. The two have ruled side-by-side, a Gol and Monkey always on the throne, but because of the death of the last King, Gol D. Roger, Monkey D. Dragon is the only King at the moment until the next generation is ready to take the throne."

Nami and Luffy were looking at Robin, eyes wide and jaws slack, completely speechless.

Perona, however, was nodding in understanding. "I see." She then looked over at the two Demons, shock turning into amusement as she hid a laugh; she remembers the feeling well of being overwhelmed by Robin's sheer _knowledge_ of many different subjects. "Don't mind Robin." They looked over at her. "She loves learning things, and history and culture are her favorites. If there's something to learn on a subject, Robin will do so. It's just who she is."

Robin giggled before glancing over at Luffy again. "So, little prince, what _are_ you doing here? I doubt your Family would be happy to know you're in the Human Realm." Her tone was now curious more than anything.

"I don't know." Luffy finally answered, scratching the back of his neck. "We didn't even _plan_ on coming here."

"What do you mean?" Robin questioned, curiosity turning to confusion.

"It's a long story." Nami said, rubbing her forehead before looking around at everyone. "Perona and I were just about to make breakfast, so why don't we do that and we can tell you everything then."

Robin nodded, smiling. "That sounds good." She then looked at the stairs. "You said Zoro was resting." Luffy nodded. "Why? It's too early for him to be taking one of his naps."

"He's sick." Perona said, already heading back to the kitchen. "Caught a cold when we brought these guys in last night."

Perona disappeared from sight before Robin could question _that_, so after giving one last look at the Demons, she was suddenly gone from sight, using her Vampire speed to ascend the stairs and enter Zoro's room quickly. Once she came to a stop next to Zoro's bed, her nose wrinkled at the scent covering Zoro before inhaling a sharp breath when she recognized it.

_No, that can't be possible._ Robin's eyes quickly scanned Zoro's form before using her own special power to sprout a disembodied arm from the bed next to Zoro's hip and pull back both the comforter and then Zoro's clothes, eyes finally resting on what she feared she'd find.

_MDL_

"Has the scent blanket settled that quickly?" Luffy's voice questioned from the doorway.

The arm she sprouted disappeared quickly into a flurry of peach petals before she pulled the blanket back over Zoro in a motherly fashion. She didn't know quite what to say yet, so she didn't respond. Remembering that Perona said Zoro was sick, she rested her hand over Zoro's forehead, but was surprised to find that the fever was already waning. He shouldn't be getting well this quickly, not unless…

She finally turned around, facing the Prince as he leaned against the doorframe, watching her in turn. "You have bonded with him?"

Luffy pursed his lips, eyes dropping to floor in what Robin thinks is guilt. "Kinda."

"Kind of?" Robin asked, eyebrow raised. "You can't _"kind of"_ bond with someone."

"He only has _my_ half of soul." Luffy replied, arms crossed over his chest tightly.

"Explain." Robin simply said.

Luffy sighed, letting his arms drop. "I didn't mean to do it. It just…kinda _happened_. I looked at him and…before I knew what I was doing, I was already saying the mantra." His eyes then looked back up at her, almost desperately. "I don't _know_ what happened!"

To say Robin was stunned would be an understatement. _It happened again._ Robin studied the distraught Demon in front of her and could see he truly doesn't know what's going on. Just like the last time, a bonding was cast without either soul having a say in the matter. Like someone had some bigger plan, or that these bondings were simply _meant_ to happen, one way or another.

"Robin?" Luffy questioned, a little meek, as the Vampire stayed silent for several minutes, thinking things over.

Robin saw how the boy was almost close to tears, and she finally sighed out; she can't let him suffer like this. "This isn't the first time something like what you're describing has happened."

Luffy's eyes widened as he bounced closer to her. "Really? When? How? Who?" He got closer with every question until he was nearly on top of her, looking up at her like an overexcited puppy.

Robin nodded, not even phased. "It was not too long ago, maybe about forty or so years, and it happened not too far from here actually." Luffy nodded, still paying attention. "It was between a Demon and a Human…well, a Hunter, more specifically." She had a faraway look in her eye. "He told me that the Demon told him exactly what you just relayed to me about this. The two of them just met eyes and suddenly the Demon had cast the bonding." Robin tilted her head in consideration. "I'm guessing _he's_ living with only half a soul as well."

"You know that guy it happened to?" Luffy questioned, bouncing on his toes.

"Very well." Robin said, glancing around. "He's the current owner of this house, actually." Robin then looked at Luffy with a smirk. "As well as Zoro and Perona's adoptive father."

Luffy's jaw dropped, backing up a few steps. "He Zoro's _dad_?" Then it hit him. "Wait. His dad's a _Hunter_?!"

Robin nodded, an amused look on her face. "Yes. A very good one. You've might of heard of him. He goes by the name of Hawk-Eye."

Luffy froze 'cause, yes, he _has_ heard of that name before, but not for the reasons Robin's thinking of; well, yes, that way as well, but more from a certain person.

"Hawk-Eye?" Luffy questioned, wanting to make sure. "That's his name?"

"Well, his real name is Mihawk, but yes, that's his Hunter name." Robin said, studying the young Prince in front of her; something is going through his mind right now.

"Do you know the Demon who bonded to him?" Luffy asked, expression extremely serious.

"I do." Robin said. "Would you like to know who it is?" She has a feeling this is what's on his mind right now.

Luffy just nodded.

Robin hid a giggle. "If my information is correct, you know him fairly well." Luffy cocked his to the side in question. "His name is Shanks. Shanks Le Roux."

_I knew it_, Luffy thought to himself, not even that surprised. Sometimes, when Shanks didn't think he was around or paying attention, he'd hear his red-haired mentor muttering something about _Hawk-Eye _or sometimes even saying _Mihawk_. So does that mean Shanks did to Mihawk what he just did to Zoro? Something then occurred to Luffy and he looked at the Vampire again.

"How did you know I'm close to Shanks?" Luffy asked, hand resting on the straw hat Shanks gave him.

Robin smiled, wondering when he'd ask. "There are two Families that are under the D.s in terms of strength, power and influence, am I correct?" Luffy nodded slowly. "One of those Families is the Le Rouxs. Shanks, as the current Head of that Family, lives with the D.s in the palace. I've heard it's customary for that to happen."

Luffy nodded again, completely stupefied. "_How_ do you know all this, Robin?" His eyes then narrowed in suspicion. "You can meet and keep my gaze when others can barely look at my eyes and you have a special power, the one I saw when I came in. Dammit, I can _sense_ the power you have surrounding you like a cloud! Just _who_ are you?"

"Oh dear. I suppose I didn't fully introduce myself earlier. Quite rude of me, I apologize." Robin then smiled sweetly at the Prince, taking a step back to drop into a (mocking) curtsey. "My full name is Nico Robin. A pleasure to meet you, your _Highness_."

Luffy's heart just about stopped beating. "_Nico_ Robin? Did you just say _Nico_, as in—"

"The other powerful Family beneath your own, yes." Robin said, straightening back up. "I am the last surviving member."

"But I…_we_ thought you all died out! No one has heard the last name Nico in…" Luffy trailed off, trying to think.

"Probably about 3,000 years." Robin answered for him, wandering past him and leaving Zoro's room; they need to let the poor boy rest. She stopped at the railing that overlooked the foyer, leaning her arms on it. "That's about the time my mom came to the Human Realm."

Luffy, having followed her out, leaned on the railing next to her, watching. "Why?"

"She was pregnant with me." Robin said, gazing off to the side. "My father was a man she didn't wish to marry, because all he was interested in was the Family name, so when he pushed the issue, coming close to violence, my mother fled the Demon Realm, coming here." Robin smiled softly. "Once I was born, she, over many centuries, built this town, setting us up here. We were happy, the town slowly becoming populous and most didn't even care we were Vampires. They saw us more as protectors than anything else."

"What happened to her?" Luffy asked, head cocked.

"My father finally found her." Robin said, hands squeezing the railing tightly before relaxing them again. "A group he brought with him attacked her, trying to force her to come back, but she fought them, killing each and every one of them, including _him_, but sustained fatal wounds in the process. She died several hours later and so now here I am." Robin glanced around the house, nostalgia alighting her eyes. "This was actually the house I grew up in. My mother built it herself from the ground up."

Luffy looked confused again. "Then why don't you live here anymore?"

Robin sighed. "Too many memories, I guess. It sat vacant for many more decades before Mihawk came, drawn here for some reason. I let him have the house and before long, Zoro joined and then Perona." She looked back at Luffy. "You can see why I don't wish to return."

Luffy nodded in understanding.

"Food!" Perona yelled up.

"Food!" Luffy shouted in excitement. "Finally!"

Robin giggled. "Yes, let's go eat." She placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look back at her. "Then you can tell me _exactly_ what brought you here, little prince."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there you have it. I hope you liked it. I don't <strong>**think I need to explain anything here, given that I explained everything that needed explaining in the story. I kinda hope I told Luffy and Robin's family background sufficiently enough. I felt I did, but I never know. What makes sense in my head might not make sense to y'all. ****But, as always, if you have questions, let me know! I'm already working on the next chapter, so it should hopefully be up soon. And, just for your information, there are two more Demons going to make an appearance soon (Sanji and Usopp), they just haven't woken up yet. Everything should make sense soon, so wait and see! As always, please favorite and review! They make me happy! :)**


	6. Chapter 5

**Next chapter time! Sorry for the wait...and I really don't have anything to add, since the fic does that itself. Just read! Also, I might not be able to update for a week or two cause of school and work and such. I'm really sorry, but, well, life happens. I hope you like!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**One Piece**_** or any of **_**One Piece**_**'s characters mentioned in this fic.**

**Warning: This is AU. Basically, all that remains are their names, faces, and a few personality traits, but other than that, the characters in this story are mostly OOC.**

xxXXxx

"Let me get this straight," Perona said, the four of them (including Wadō and Kumashi; Chopper was upstairs tending to Zoro) sitting in the morning room right off the kitchen, eating the breakfast she and Nami prepared. "You, basically, _fell_ into our Realm?"

Nami swallowed before nodding. "That's right. We were exploring a part of the forest _that we weren't supposed to be in_," she glared at Luffy, "and I suddenly felt the air around us change. I didn't like it, but before I could tell the others, we heard this kind of…ripping sound below us."

"Yeah!" Luffy said enthusiastically, still stuffing his mouth. "And then we were all falling into this really dark mystery crack." He swallowed. "Next thing I know, I was waking up here!"

Robin nodded, taking a sip of coffee. "You probably lost consciousness from the sudden fall through the portal."

"Portal?" Perona asked, looking at the black-haired woman.

"Yes, a portal." Robin said, setting her mug down. "Do you remember when I told you that there are many different Realms in existence?" Perona nodded. "Well, the portals are how the residents of those Realms can travel between the different ones, but," Robin looked to the side, out a window, "there are certain _rules_ that apply to the traveling depending on which Realm you are traveling _from_."

"Rules?" Nami asked; she didn't know about any rules.

Robin nodded, sighing out lightly. "The Demon Realm doesn't really have any rules applied to it. If you can open a portal or find one, you can travel through it, though it _will_ close once its been used."

"What about here?" Luffy asked, now sitting back in his chair, stomach full.

"Trickier." Robin said, tapping a slender finger on her chin. "Certain…_lunar_ conditions must be met to be able to open a portal."

"Lunar?" Perona asked, curious. "Like what?"

Robin leaned her head forward, hair falling around her in a curtain.

"Robin?" Perona called out, confused at her friend's unusual behavior.

Nami, though, understood. "We'll be stuck in the Human Realm for awhile, won't we?" Robin looked up at the Kitsune and Nami could see the answer in her eyes. "How long?"

Robin blew out a breath, sitting back up. "For a portal to be opened in the Human Realm, a total lunar eclipse needs to occur."

"So?" Luffy asked, confused. "What's so special about that?"

"They only happen about twice every year." Perona answered, finally understanding the gravity of the situation.

"When is the next one?" Nami asked, looking at the Vampire.

Robin tilted her head in thought before answering, "Not for another four months."

Luffy blinked slowly, looking between the girls, before it all finally hit him. "Wait! You mean we're _stuck_ here for four months!"

Robin nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so."

"There's no other way to open one before then?" Perona asked, looking at the distraught Demons with sympathy.

"No," Robin answered, shaking her head slowly. "It simply isn't possible." She then rested her elbow on the table before placing her chin in her palm. "But this isn't what has me concerned."

Perona moved her gaze over to Robin, barely noticing when Kumashi jumped into her lap and settled there. "What's wrong, Robin? I've never seen you this troubled before."

Robin sighed before finally stating, "I don't think any of this was an accident."

"What?" Nami asked, beyond confused, while Luffy merely stared at her with head cocked to one side.

Robin drummed the fingers of her other hand on the table. "From what I have gathered, I can't help but think someone _deliberately _opened that portal so you would fall through it." She paused, rethinking something, before correcting herself. "No, that's not completely right. It was opened with the sole purpose of sending _Luffy_ through." Her eyes flickered to Nami. "You and your other friends were…collateral damage, let us say. The main goal was to get Luffy into the Human Realm."

"But _why_?" Perona asked, hand absentmindedly petting Kumashi. "Why go through all the trouble?"

Robin laid her cheek in her hand now, gazing at Luffy sadly. "Why else would anyone want to send one of the Demon _Princes_ to the Human Realm, where he's out of the protection of his Family with only a few friends to help him?"

Perona's eyes widened as understanding hit her.

"To kill him." Nami breathed out, features horrified, as she finally put the pieces of the puzzle Robin already saw together. "Someone wants to _kill_ Luffy!"

But Robin shook her head, confusing the Kitsune. "I don't believe so, not right now, though his death _is_ certainly the endgame."

Nami just plonked her head onto the table, suddenly exhausted and definitely exasperated.

"What do you mean, Robin?" Perona asked, taking pity on the poor Kitsune.

Robin tapped her chin thoughtfully before looking to the side. "Luffy?" The ravenette looked at her. "Have you ever heard of the legend called "Death of D."?"

Luffy pursed his lips. "It sounds familiar." He cocked his head. "I think I remember Ace and Shanks talking about it once."

Robin then leaned back into her seat, crossing her legs primly. "It's an age-old tale that has followed the D. Family for…for longer than even _I_ can say. The origins of it has been lost to time as well."

"What is it?" Nami asked, curious. She's never heard about it.

The Vampire tilted her head in thought. "Well, to be frank, there is not just _one_ version of this tale, many different ones have popped up every century or so, but each one has the same basis to it."

The others nodded, eager for her to continue; Kumashi is now sitting propped on Perona's lap, front paws lying on the table, while Wadō is situated next to Luffy, listening to the conversation going on raptly.

Robin blew out a breath. "If one were to kill a member of the D. Family, one would be able to…absorb their strength and powers."

"Absorb?" Perona questioned, eyes wide with curiosity.

"Like I said earlier, the D. Family is made up entirely of Archdemons, and those types are one of the most powerful Demons to exist." Robin said, eyes lingering on Luffy. "However, what makes the D. Family _truly_ special is the powers they possess."

Perona then cocked her head as something occurred to her. "Like you, Robin?"

Robin giggled. "Yes, quite like me."

"Wait." Nami said, slamming her hands on the table, rattling the empty plates and silverware. "_You_ have a special power? How?" Then she shook her head before pointing at Robin. "And how the hell do you know so much about…all of this?!"

"Her full name is Nico Robin." Luffy answered, leaning back in his chair so it balanced on two legs. "She's a Nico, Nami."

Nami sputtered, eyes wide as she looked at the Vampire. "You mean _that_ Nico, the family of Vampires that disappeared centuries ago?"

Robin nodded. "I am the last of them."

"Really?" Perona asked, looking over at her friend. "I remember you telling me some about your past, mostly your mother, but I didn't realize you were such a big deal."

"She's ranked under my Family in terms of power and influence." Luffy answered, rocking back and forth in his chair.

"To be honest, the Nicos are probably the most powerful Vampires to ever exist." Nami supplied, resting her chin in her hand. "Way above all the others."

"And, like me and my Family, she has really cool powers too!" Luffy exclaimed before laughing.

Robin giggled in turn.

"What special power do you have?" Nami questioned the Vampire.

Perona, after shooing Kumashi off her lap, got up and started clearing off the table, heading over to the sink; she's already seen Robin's special gift.

Robin looked over at the Kitsune before crossing her arms in a X over her chest and concentrating; a second later, two disembodied arms grew out of Luffy's shoulders and grabbed onto the straw hat dangling from the chin-string and plopping it onto his head before they disappeared into a flurry of peach blossoms.

"Holy shit!" Nami screeched, eyes wide in surprise. "Those were…were…you grew _arms_ out of Luffy!"

Robin smiled, letting her arms drop back down. "I did."

"Can you only do that with your arms?" she asked, head tilted as her awe wore off.

"No." Robin said, leaning back some. "I can make copies of any body part I possess on any surface I wish…within reason, of course. It's rather handy to have."

"I bet." Nami muttered, studying the Vampire with interest.

"What about you, Luffy?" Perona asked, closing up the dishwasher and wiping off her hands. "You said you have a power as well."

Luffy, letting his chair settle back down onto four legs, grabbed onto his cheek and yanked it until it was stretched _way_ passed normal limits. "I'm a rubber man!"

Both Perona and Robin froze at that.

"Yeah, I know." Nami said, slapping Luffy's hand so he'd let his cheek go. "It takes a minute to get used to."

"When you say _rubber man_…" Perona said, taking a seat on one of the barstools and petting Kumashi, who has jumped up onto the island.

"Is the _entirety_ of your body made of rubber?" Robin asked, looking extensively fascinated.

"Uh, yeah." Luffy said, head titled. "I think."

"It is." Nami confirmed, nodding. "His outer and inner body are completely rubber."

"Even his organs?" Robin questioned.

Nami nodded. "Even those. He also has most of the properties of rubber." Seeing their confusion, she adds, "For example, he's immune to electricity."

"Ah." Robin nodded in understanding. "Rubber is a poor conductor so it makes sense." She then looked at Luffy again, a secretive smile tilting her lips.

Perona sighed before letting out a laugh when she spotted Robin. Poor Luffy—that's her _how-interesting-I-can't-wait-to-study-more_ smile.

"Well then, now that breakfast is over, why don't we—" Perona was cut off when an enraged shout sounded from upstairs followed by a heavy _thump_ and more shouting, this time from two parties.

Robin let loose a giggle, eyes opening from where they had been closed. "It seems Zoro has awoken." She smiled wider when she saw how that perked Luffy up. "And your deer friend isn't too happy about it."

"Reindeer." Perona automatically corrected, remembering how upset Chopper was when her and Zoro called him _deer_. "He's a reindeer Shifter."

"A Shifter with a group of Demons?" Robin questioned, looking at Nami.

Nami just waved it off. "Long story."

"_Stop moving around! You need to rest!"_ was heard from upstairs.

"_Dammit! I told you I'm just fine! I don't even remember going to sleep!"_ a pause from the returning yeller. _"What the fuck! Why am I asleep!?"_

"Horahorahorahora." Perona covered her mouth to stifle her laugher. "Poor Zoro."

_Didn't fall asleep on his own?_ Robin silently thought to herself before her gaze landed on Luffy. _Ah, I see._

"Very naughty of you, little prince." Robin said with laughter.

"Huh?" Luffy said, completely lost.

Robin just tapped her nose. "You won't be able to pull that little trick off again." She then got up and stretched. "Zoro's Sight protects against such things like that."

"Such…things?" Luffy said slowly, also getting up.

"Powers that directly affect the mind, that override a person's freewill." Robin elaborated. "It's what makes the Roronoa Family so special among users of the Sight."

**. . .**

"Wait, wait, wait!" Nami shouted, holding her hands up in the air. "What did you just say?"

Robin and Perona blinked at her in confusion.

Nami let out a frustrated noise. "You just said Roronoa."

"I did." Robin said with a confirming nod.

"That green-haired guy's a _Roronoa_?!" Nami finally screeched out, staring at Robin with wide eyes.

"He is." Robin said with another nod. "He's the most current Roronoa with the Sight as well as the current owner of Wadō Ichimonji, the white katana that has always belonged to the Roronoa Family."

"Holy shit." Nami just breathed out, shaking her head.

Luffy didn't say anything, didn't know _what_ to say, but it seems now his little situation just got a whole lot more complicated.

Before anything else could be said on that subject, more shouting was heard followed by several loud _thumps_.

"What's going _on_ up there?" Nami finally asked, looking up at the ceiling, successfully distracted.

"Zoro can be rather…stubborn." Perona said, scratching Kumashi's head. "He's very set in his own ways and doesn't like people telling him what to do."

"Your reindeer is in for quite the battle trying to get him to rest." Robin said knowingly, but, after remembering what she felt upstairs, she thinks Zoro should be good by now.

"I think Zoro'll be okay." Luffy said cheeringly, patting Wadō on the head as he headed into the grand room. "But, uh…"

"What is it?" Name asked, following after the ravenette.

"Do you think they're ever gonna wake up?" Luffy asked after a moments pause, staring at his final two friends that came with him through the portal.

Nami's lips pursed in thought as her eyes flickered back and forth. "They _have _been out for quite awhile. I wonder why they haven't woken up yet."

"Chopper should look at them." Luffy said, flickering his eyes towards the stairs.

"Well…" Perona drawled out as she joined them in the grand room. "If what I'm hearing is right, your friend will be joining us—-" several _thumps_ sounded from the stairs followed by the arrival of a large figure slamming into the foyer, "—now."

"OW!" Chopper shouted, sitting up from the floor and rubbing his head. "What was that for?"

"I _told_ you I was fine!" another voice shouted as it made its way down the stairs.

Luffy's focus quickly shifted from his friends to Zoro, a smile lighting up his face. "ZORO! You're all better!"

Zoro paused at the entrance of the grand room in surprise; he was still dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, but now resting at his right hip are three katanas. "Who the hell are you?"

Luffy then looked crestfallen; he didn't remember that Zoro saw him for less than a second before he was knocked out, since Zoro was too busy fending off Chopper to pay attention.

"Zoro, I'm so glad to see you are well." Robin said as she moved over towards him. "Perona said you were sick."

"Robin?" Zoro asked in confusion, looking around. "When did you get here?"

"A little while ago." Perona answered, coming to a stop next to Robin, before teasing, "Did you have a nice nap?"

A growl left his mouth. "Not. Funny."

Wadō let out a happy _woof_ as she trotted over to Zoro, sitting at his feet and wagging her tail excitedly. Zoro finally smiled and pat her on her head, ruffling his fingers through her fur.

Luffy, meanwhile, was pouting in the corner because Zoro didn't seem to know who he is. He was acting like someone took his straw hat and stomped on it several times while wearing cleats…_spiked_ cleats.

"Why are you sulking, Luffy?" Nami whispered to the ravenette, bopping him on the head.

"He doesn't know who I am." Luffy said with a pronounced pout.

"What?" Nami asked, confused, before following his gaze, seeing that it was riveted on Zoro. "_Him?_ Why would you be so upset?"

Luffy just grumbled.

Nami rolled her eyes before marching over to the trio standing in the entryway, intent on getting some answers, before a scent hit her nose. She paused in her movements, nose twitching as she took in a deeper breath, then, all at once, anything electrical in the house all started flickering sporadically, responding to Nami's mood.

The three looked around in confusion but Nami only spun on her heel before stomping over to Luffy, steaming mad. "LUFFY!"

Luffy jumped in place, his features instantly morphing into one of fear; he's pretty sure he knows what has the Kitsune so pissed off.

"YOU!" Nami said, poking him in the chest. "What the _hell_ did you _do_?!"

"I, um, don't—" Luffy looked around, trying to find an escape.

"You…you…you _idiot!_ How the hell could you _do _that?!" Nami screeched, waving her arms around wildly. "You seriously bo—" She was cut off.

"Miss Nami?" Robin called out, wanting to avoid a scene; she also knows that Nami has figured out what Luffy did to Zoro, but wants to keep it on the down-low for a little bit longer, until she can get Zoro alone and explain some things.

Nami breathed out harshly before spinning to look at the Vampire. "_What_, Robin?"

The Vampire merely smiled back at her. "Weren't you concerned about your other friends?"

Nami then blinked, all electronic devices calming down with her mood, before nodding. "You're right." She glared at Luffy before grinding out, _"Later!"_ She then spun on her heel and walked over to Chopper, who still looked like he wanted to take Zoro and strap him down to a bed. "Chopper?"

The reindeer finally looked away from Zoro and at Nami. "Yes?"

She smiled up at him, head tilted some. "Could you check on Sanji and Usopp for me? They still haven't woken up and we're getting worried."

"Really?" Chopper asked in surprise, turning his gaze down on his still-sleeping friends. "They are!" He then started panicking and running around while shouting, "Doctor! We need a doctor! Ah! Doc—"

He was cut off when he was slapped harshly by Nami. "That's why we have _you_, doctor! Go check on them!"

Chopper immediately calmed down before nodding. "You're right!" He then crouched down by the two figures and started checking them over.

Robin giggled. "He's certainly an interesting creature."

"Oh, so that's what's going on." Zoro said, nodding in understanding; Perona was filling him in on all that happened while he was sleeping. He then glanced at the ravenette curiously. "Now I understand why he looks different from any other Demon I've seen before."

"How so?" Robin asked, tuning into their conversation.

Zoro shrugged before explaining. When he looked at Luffy, he looked mostly the same, only now his upper-canine teeth were long and sharp, nails looking more talon-like, pupils are slitted, and, the most obvious, are the large bat-like wings coming from his back made of coarse black, gold and silver scales.

"How interesting." Robin muttered, but said nothing more on the matter.

"But there's still something I don't get." Zoro said, looking at Robin.

"What's that, little one?" Robin questioned, calling Zoro the nickname she gave him the first time they met; he hates it but can't really discourage the Vampire from calling him that.

"You said the endgame is to kill him," he pointed at Luffy, "but what's the goal right now?"

Robin hummed out, tapping her chin. "I think it's to kidnap him. If they believe what the legend says, a ritual must be done before the D. can be killed or they don't get the power." She tilted her head. "Also, some tales have talked about only a certain _person_ being able to do the killing." She then shrugged. "I don't know for sure, since, like I said, too many versions of the tale have been circulated."

"So, basically, they can't kill him _yet_." Perona summed up, fingers combing through Wadō's fur absentmindedly. "But they _do_ need him."

Zoro nodded, finally understanding. "He was brought here to get him away from his super powerful Family, out into the open and unprotected, so they'd have an easier time snatching him." He then looked deep in thought.

"Zoro." Perona called out, watching him. "I know that look. What are you thinking about?"

"Well, I don't think the plan was to let him wake up." Zoro said, tapping his fingers along Wadō Ichimonji's hilt. "If they're able to open portals wherever they want, then they must know what would happen if someone were to fall through one so suddenly."

"What?" Nami asked, confused. "What do you mean by "able to open portals"?" Robin said something similar, but it still didn't make sense to her.

Zoro gave her a flat look. "You really think it was a coincidence that a portal just _happened_ to open under all of you? One that would send you _here_, to the Human Realm, where he'd be unprotected?"

"I guess." Nami said, nodding slowly.

"But something went wrong." Zoro said, continuing his line of thinking.

"I don't believe they realized how quickly portals shut after being used." Robin said, knowing where Zoro's going with this because she'd already figured it out. "They might of thought that since they opened it themselves, it would not close until _they_ closed it." She rested her hand in her cheek. "But they were wrong."

Zoro nodded, not at all surprised that Robin understands. "They couldn't follow you through it, so they lost their chance to grab him while he was knocked out." He sighed out, still thinking things through. "They might've been able to reopen one in the same area, but we," he motioned to himself and Perona, "got to them first. All thanks to Wadō and Kumashi."

"They must have sensed the portal being opened." Robin said, crossing her arms. "And were drawn to it, subsequently leading you there."

"And to them." Zoro finished, sighing out; he didn't want to say this, but it's the only thing that makes sense. "But I don't think this is it."

The others were confused, all except Robin.

"You see it too." Robin said, smiling proudly.

Zoro nodded. "They won't stop just because he got away." He rubbed his forehead. "If what you're saying is true, they're gonna come after him."

"Correct." Robin answered before looking over at Luffy. "Do you have any ideas on who would be after you, Luffy?"

Luffy tilted his head, still a little upset about Zoro, but pushed it away from his mind for now to focus on the problem at hand. "Dad once told me lots of people might come after me, but never said names." He shrugged. "And no one ever did anything to me at home, so I didn't think about it for too long."

"I doubt anyone would have attacked you in the Demon Realm." Robin said thoughtfully. "No Demon is _that_ stupid, or suicidal."

"So they'll be coming to the Human Realm to get him." Zoro said, eye resting on the ravenette. "And that will lead them straight _here_." The Demons were watching Zoro uneasily, almost afraid he'd kick them out, but were surprised when Zoro merely smirked. "Finally. I was starting to get bored."

"Fufufufu." Robin laughed, and amusement showed on her face. "You're too much like your father."

Zoro rolled his eye at that.

"Wait a minute!" Nami yelled, beyond confused. "You aren't going to kick us out?"

"Why would we do that?" Zoro asked her like that was the stupidest question she could've asked.

"Because!" Nami shouted, waving her arms around. "You aren't worried someone will attack you or this house?!"

Zoro just shrugged. "We're just fine, and as for the house…" He trailed off, looking at Robin pointedly.

Robin hid more laughter. "The house, the _property_ is heavily warded, the magic done by an extremely powerful coven who specialize _in_ warding as well as the four elements. My mother did it as a precaution when she finished the house." She gazed at Nami seriously. "Unless someone from the property _lets_ you in, you cannot set foot on this land."

"So, basically what they're saying is," Perona said, hand resting on her cocked-out hip, "you're safe here." She rolled her eyes. "Plus, Zoro's been _itching_ for a fight. Damn idiot."

"Like you're one to talk." Zoro scoffed, walking over to a window to look around outside.

"No one is around right now." Perona called out; Zoro looked over his shoulder, noticing Perona's spaced-out gaze.

"You sure?" Zoro said back anyways. "They don't see anything?"

Perona nodded, blinking rapidly to bring her mind back. "They're sure, but I told them to keep an extra eye out now, just in case."

Zoro nodded. "Good."

"_What_ are you two talking about?" Nami asked in exasperation, hands settled on her hips. "Who's "they"?"

"Oh, they didn't tell you?" Robin asked, looking bemused.

"Tell us _what_?" Nami ground out.

"Perona is a Medium." Robin informed, smiling serenely. "A Clairvoyant."

Luffy, with his pinky stuck up his nose, asked, "What?"

Nami's face met her palm before she rubbed over it. "It means she can see and speak to spirits, Luffy."

"Ohh." Luffy said, nodding.

"They seem to be okay." Chopper suddenly said, startling everyone; they forgot he was there. "Vitals are strong and everything's working the way its supposed to."

"Then why aren't they awake?" Nami asked, rubbing her temples to stave off another headache.

Chopper just shrugged. "I don't know, but, right now, the only thing wrong with them is that they're unconscious." He pushed himself back up. "I can't do anything else right now."

"Shishishi. That's okay, Chopper." Luffy said, patting the Shifter on the arm. "You did good."

The reindeer then started doing some weird hula-like dance that involved waving his arms like they were noodles. "Telling me stuff like that doesn't make me happy or anything, you bastard~"

The Demons just laughed, like that was normal, while the trio from the Human Realm exchanged bemused looks.

xxXXxx

**Somewhere in the Demon Realm**

"What do you _mean_ he's not there anymore?" a low, gravely voice bit out, staring at one of his subordinates.

"Just that, sir." A large man said. "By the time we opened another portal, the Demon Prince, as well as his friends, were gone."

"How did that happen?!" the boss shouted.

"We don't know, sir." The large man's female partner said, hand on cocked-out hip. "But we are sending the Billions into the Human Realm right now to track him."

"You have his scent?" he asked, calming slightly.

"Yes, our Trackers were able to pick it up." The large man said with a nod. "We should have the Prince's location very soon."

"And we gave the Billions permission to do whatever was necessary to recover him," the woman said with a sinister chuckle. "Don't worry. We'll have him soon enough."

"Good." The boss said, tapping his fingers against the large gold hook replacing his left hand. "After all, nothing can get accomplished until we have that damn D. in our grasp." He then looked up at the two in front of him. "Oversee the recovery and make sure everything goes smoothly. Don't let him get away again."

"Sir." They both said, saluting, before spreading their wings and flying off.

The boss smirked, leaning back in his chair. "Soon, very soon, that power will be _mine_." An evil laugh followed the proclamation.

xxXXxx

**So, who're the mysterious people at the end? You can probably guess, but that doesn't mean I'll tell you! I hope you liked it. I don't think I need to explain anything here, given that I explained everything that needed explaining in the story. Since I'll be delaying my next update, I made this a bit longer. Things are picking up!**


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